“President Tinubu calls Atiku Anarchist, Thief Amid Supreme Court Controversy

President Bola Tinubu has strongly criticized Atiku Abubakar. He characterized the former vice president as a ‘demagogue,’ an ‘anarchist,’ and a ‘kleptocrat’ in response to Atiku Abubakar’s outburst over the Supreme Court’s rejection of new certificate forgery evidence. This evidence could have potentially invalidated Mr. Tinubu’s electoral victory.

Through a statement released by his aide, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu expressed his disapproval of Atiku Abubakar’s press conference. At the press conference, Mr. Abubakar berated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for not disqualifying Mr. Tinubu and for the Supreme Court’s refusal to admit evidence related to the certificate forgery.

President Tinubu stated, “We were mistaken in expecting Atiku, at the age of 77, to exhibit statesmanship and sportsmanship by accepting the verdict of the highest court and the will of the Nigerian people. Instead, he unapologetically positioned himself as a demagogue and anarchist, attempting to undermine and delegitimize all state institutions in a futile attempt to achieve what he could not through the ballot box.”

In addition to dismissing the certificate forgery issue raised by Mr. Abubakar, President Tinubu labeled the opposition candidate a hypocrite and branded him as one of Africa’s most notorious kleptocrats. He pointed out, “Alhaji Atiku Abubakar claims to love Nigeria and uphold ‘integrity’ to a great extent. However, we view this claim as sheer hypocrisy, given Atiku’s reputation as one of the worst examples of kleptocracy in Africa.

The U.S. Congress has documented Atiku’s involvement in money laundering, a rare instance of corruption at the highest echelons of global governance. His involvement led to the imprisonment of Congressman William Jefferson after the FBI exposed a bribery scandal in which Atiku was deeply implicated.”

Earlier in August, Atiku Abubakar had pursued legal action in the United States to compel Chicago State University to disclose President Tinubu’s academic records, which had been a subject of controversy and secrecy for decades.

Last month, the U.S.-based institution, in a sworn deposition, revealed that Mr. Tinubu had presented a forged certificate to INEC. This revelation stirred significant public reaction in Nigeria, with many calling for Mr. Tinubu’s removal in accordance with the country’s constitution.

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Section 137 (1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution (amended in 2010) explicitly states that no one can legitimately be elected President of Nigeria if they have presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission.