Former Senate Leader and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ali Ndume, has described the controversy surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s academic credentials as a distraction ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Ndume made the submission in a statement issued on Monday while urging opposition parties to focus their campaigns on the President’s policies and performance rather than his educational qualifications.

The controversy followed the publication by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the academic qualifications submitted by 19 presidential candidates and their running mates.

Reacting to the development, Ndume maintained that Tinubu had met the constitutional requirements for contesting the presidency, dismissing arguments that the President was required to attach a secondary school certificate to his credentials.

Citing Section 131(d) of the 1999 Constitution, the former Senate Leader argued that the law establishes a minimum educational requirement for presidential candidates but does not prescribe a secondary school certificate as the only means of satisfying the requirement.

He quoted the constitutional provision as stating: “A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the President if—(d) he has been educated up to at least school certificate level or its equivalent.”

Ndume further argued that the issue of Tinubu’s eligibility had already been subjected to litigation following the 2023 presidential election, urging opposition parties to direct their attention to issues of governance and the President’s record in office.

According to him, the opposition should challenge Tinubu based on his policies, programmes and performance rather than continue to focus on questions surrounding his academic credentials.

“The narrative around his certificate, in my opinion, is distracting,” Ndume said.

He urged political parties preparing for the 2027 election to concentrate on issues that directly affect Nigerians and present alternative policy options to the electorate.