Tinubu, Atiku should clear controversies, allegations surrounding their births, ages, certificates, others — HURIWA

Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), on Wednesday, urged All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to clear the allegations and controversies surrounding their birthdays, ages, certificates, and businesses.

The rights group said it was imperative for the electorate to be informed on first hand basis by the candidates directly through publicised sworn affidavits before the Federal High Court so Nigerians know exactly the true identities of the persons seeking their votes because voting is a sacred social contract and it wouldn’t be transparent if voters are asked to vote for persons they aren’t so sure of vital statistics about them.

HURIWA said although as a body, it has nothing to do with those allegations made at various places and times by some politicians against Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former Vice President Atku Abubakar but the rights group said it would be far better and much more credible if these high profile individuals could respond by themselves once and for all, to clear the doubts about these key questions about them.

HURIWA said it was mindful of the fact that even in the United Kingdom few hours back, the internationally respected long distance athletic Olympics champion Sir, Mo Farah (A Knight of Great Britain) admitted that he was trafficked as a Child into the UK and that he had a false identity and that his true identity is Hussein.

The group noted that the British Government affirms that since the offence was committed by adults and not by the person making the admission, his citizenship granted him could not be revoked.

HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement, said Nigerians deserve to know everything about the persons that were putting themselves forward to succeed the President Muhammadu Buhari, in 2023.

The rights group “called on Tinubu and Atiku to make these critical information open and transparent so these lingering doubts are ended once and for all.”

HURIWA said it has no intention of instituting any legal challenge against these Presidential Candidates but was interested in Nigerians knowing the truth in the spirit of the Freedom of Information ACT of 2015.

Recall that in 2009, former Governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, had allegedly without any shreds of empirical data, said that “everything about Tinubu is fake.”

Speaking in Yoruba, Oyinlola had alleged thus: “Bola Tinubu from head to toe, is fake, I still want to add something, because his age is fake, his mother is fake, his father is fake, the school he attended is fake, his state of origin is fake, PDP! Power!!!.

“I want to tell you something today and if you want to know, if you see Tinubu, let him expose/show his hand and stomach, there is cartoon of lizard there, which indigene of Lagos would have that mark except Osun indigene.”

Specifically, these allegations had been reinforced by Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, Bode George, and many other Lagosians not on the side of the former Lagos State Governor. Controversies and plethora of allegations have also trailed Tinubu’s name, birth, original state of origin, parents, schools attended, and many others.

Bayo Onanuga, the authorised Campaign Media Spokesperson of Tinubu, dismissed Oyinlola’s allegations as malicious and unsubstantiated.

“Also, in the case of Atiku Abubakar, there are subsisting allegations that he is not a Nigerian but a Cameroonian.  Atiku was once dragged to Court but the matter was not decided in favour of his accusers.  Also, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is being challenged in court over alleged false academic claims by a group which the Politician, through his Spokesperson, had rubbished as “a distraction and an absolute falsehood.”

Onwubiko said: “There is need for clarity on the identity doubts around APC Presidential Candidate, Bola Tinubu. Nigerians deserve to know everything about him with proof, beginning with allegations of him as a kid being transported to Canada with the name Bola Tinubu which isn’t his originally; the unclear stories about his parents, elementary education and lots more – all are still allegations that are yet unproven but there is the need for Tinubu to take out a Court’s affidavit responding to these groundswell of unverified allegations.

“These issues must be made clear to Nigerians by APC Presidential Candidate himself, not by proxy, before he begins campaign because the citizens who are owners of the sovereignty of Nigeria have the legal right to know.

“Nigerians won’t vote for any man who is shielding his past for obvious reasons. Nigerians have their permanent voter cards and will do their due diligence before casting their priceless votes that cannot be bought and so Nigerians await his educative and informative responses.”