The presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has said it is profoundly embarrassing that we have reached a point where a sitting President is asking a foreign court to withhold records concerning his past, particularly records relating to matters of legitimate public interest.

Obi said this amid an ongoing court case in the United States over President Bola Tinubu’s records with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Reacting, Obi said leadership demands the courage and humility to confront one’s history — to acknowledge mistakes, provide candid explanations where questions arise, and, where necessary, apologise and seek forgiveness. He said true authority is strengthened, not diminished, when a leader accepts responsibility rather than seeks to shield uncomfortable aspects of the past from legitimate scrutiny.

“This becomes particularly important when questions concern educational credentials. Issues surrounding foundational schooling — primary and secondary — should not remain unresolved or be addressed primarily through legal proceedings. Nigerians deserve clear, credible, and verifiable explanations, especially when such had been submitted in the past,” he said,

Obi expressed concern about the example the situation sets for more than 200 million Nigerians, particularly the over 30 million young people in schools. He said the nation’s highest office should exemplify integrity, accountability, transparency, and ethical leadership.

“An imperfect past is part of the human condition. What matters is the willingness to confront it with humility, honesty and deep apology, to make amends where necessary and, when circumstances so demand, to place the interests of the nation above personal ambition.

“When will our political class fully appreciate that individual ambitions are temporary, while the nation endures? The Presidency is an office held for a season; the moral standards established by those who occupy it can influence generations.

“Nigeria is greater than any one person, and the integrity of the Republic must always come before the interests of the individual,” he said.