By Ayodele comfort
As political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, a member of the House of Representatives and a group of lawyers and policy analysts have criticised the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, over his renewed focus on President Bola Tinubu’s United States record, academic and National Youth Service Corps credentials.
They described the former Vice-President’s actions, including his fresh legal challenge to Tinubu’s eligibility and request to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation for records relating to the President, as distractions from the issues confronting Nigerians.
The lawmaker representing Agege Federal Constituency, Dr Wale Ahmed, and the group, The Progressive Counsel, made their positions known in separate statements on Wednesday.
Ahmed described the renewed controversy surrounding Tinubu’s academic and NYSC credentials as a political distraction ahead of the 2027 elections, urging opposition politicians to focus on presenting alternative solutions to the challenges facing Nigerians.
The lawmaker spoke following reports that Atiku had commenced a fresh legal action at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking Tinubu’s disqualification from the 2027 presidential election over alleged irregularities surrounding his NYSC certificate.
Ahmed said the allegations against the President remained subject to judicial determination, stressing that political claims should not be treated as facts.
“The case remains pending, and the allegations have not been established by a court,” he said.
The lawmaker acknowledged that public officials could be subjected to legitimate scrutiny but argued that the 2027 election should focus more on policies, governance and the ability of candidates to address the country’s challenges.
“Nigerians deserve a campaign of ideas, not an endless recycling of allegations.
“If anybody believes President Tinubu has failed, let that person tell Nigerians what he will do differently and how he will do it,” Ahmed said.
He questioned the continued emphasis on the President’s certificates when issues such as the economy, insecurity, infrastructure and unemployment remained major concerns for Nigerians.
Ahmed also warned against mixing the controversy over Tinubu’s Nigerian academic and NYSC records with a separate legal matter in the United States involving records linked to a historical investigation and civil forfeiture proceedings concerning funds associated with the President.
“There is a difference between legitimate scrutiny and political obsession. If there is a case before a court, let the court determine it. But an election campaign cannot be reduced to litigating the same allegations repeatedly,” he said.
On Atiku’s ambition to contest the 2027 presidential election, Ahmed said he respected the former Vice-President’s political aspirations but argued that the current political arrangement should be considered.
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