Why Must Requests for Tinubu’s Records Be Blocked at All Times?
By ABANIKANDA OLUMORO (UK)
If Goodluck Jonathan could declare that his ambition was not worth the blood of any Nigerian, and Muhammadu Buhari allowed Nigerians to exercise their democratic choices asking them to vote for candidates of their choices across the political parties, why should Tinubu find it difficult to guarantee peaceful elections in 2027? Was it not the same President who recently travelled to Makkah to pray for Nigeria’s peace and prosperity ahead of the elections? Surely, such prayers must be accompanied by genuine commitment to justice, fairness and democratic conduct.
Why does every attempt to obtain records associated with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appear to encounter resistance? From Chicago State University in the United States to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and now Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the recurring controversies raise serious questions about transparency, accountability and the credibility of the 2027 general elections.
The first instance involved Tinubu’s academic records at Chicago State University. The President challenged efforts to secure their release, arguing that disclosure would cause him irreparable damage. However, an American appellate court rejected his position and ordered the release of the records. The presiding female judge questioned how releasing academic records could cause the irreparable damage claimed by Tinubu.
The second concerns records reportedly held by the FBI. According to communications attributed to the US lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York and Nigeria’s Presidency, access to documents connected to allegations of heroin trafficking and money laundering has remained a subject of controversy. These allegations must not be mistaken for established findings of guilt. Nevertheless, the public deserves clarity, particularly when questions surrounding presidential eligibility and accountability are involved.
The third situation is unfolding in Nigeria, where Omoyele Sowore’s request for Tinubu’s 1999 and 2023 electoral records, following a Federal High Court order in Abuja, has encountered resistance from INEC.
The court reportedly subpoenaed INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, to produce the relevant records. Yet the commission has filed an application seeking to set aside the order, arguing that the documents are not in its custody.
How? Is INEC not a public institution holding a responsibility to Nigerians? Why should access to records relating to a presidential candidate become such a contentious issue?
More troubling is that Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) over allegations that he described the President as a criminal. If he maintains that he has evidence to substantiate his position and has specifically identified the electoral records he wants INEC to produce, why should he face obstacles in obtaining material he considers necessary for his defence?
Why prosecute someone over an allegation while resisting his stated efforts to establish his evidence?
The combined effect of these controversies is damaging to public confidence. Nigerians may increasingly interpret repeated resistance to disclosure as an unwillingness to submit to scrutiny. If there is nothing to conceal, transparency should be the easiest response.
Tinubu must understand that he and his administration will bear significant political responsibility if the Fourth Republic suffers a crisis because of perceived attempts to manipulate democratic institutions ahead of 2027.
His reported expression of satisfaction with the instability within opposition parties has also done little to calm public suspicion. The controversies surrounding the African Democratic Congress (ADC), including the Nafiu Gombe litigation and Justice Peter Lifu’s controversial judgment concerning the David Mark-led leadership, have further heightened political tensions.
It is particularly disturbing that presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga and Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo, SAN, publicly celebrated a ruling favourable to Gombe. Onanuga even presented him on social media as the ADC National Chairman. When did a presidential spokesman of an All Progressives Congress (APC) administration become the spokesperson for an opposition party, especially when he dies it in way that pitches party leaders against themselves?
Tinubu swore on May 29, 2023 to uphold and defend the Nigeria’s Constitution. That oath demands respect for democratic institutions, political competition and the independence of the judiciary.
This is no longer just about political gamesmanship. The consequences could be far-reaching, including lasting damage to national unity and the reputation of the President’s Yoruba community.
If Goodluck Jonathan could declare that his ambition was not worth the blood of any Nigerian, and Muhammadu Buhari allowed Nigerians to exercise their democratic choices asking them to vote for candidates of their choices across the political parties, why should Tinubu find it difficult to guarantee peaceful elections in 2027?
Was it not the same President who recently travelled to Makkah to pray for Nigeria’s peace and prosperity ahead of the elections? Surely, such prayers must be accompanied by genuine commitment to justice, fairness and democratic conduct.
As for Justice Peter Lifu, enough for him talk about posterity and the case of Justice Bassey Ikpeme, killed and buried the Hope 1993 that the June 12 promised to Nigerians and, for Amupitan, he should remember that, much as the military government prevailed on Professor Humphrey Nwosu, to scuttle the June 12, 1999 presidential election, he stood his ground to still announce what gave Nigerians the confidence in his National Electoral Commission (NEC).
For that, history became and will continue to be kind to him. This is now Amupitan, not under military but civilian government. He will have no excuse, if he fails Nigerians because one of them in office as president appointed him as INEC Chairman and coerces him to fail the people. I situation like this, Amupitan should look back and consider his wife, children, Nigeria and his position as a Christian activist.
A stitch in time, the adage says, saves nine. Tinubu must act now. No ambition is worth the collapse of Nigeria’s democracy, and no individual is bigger than the country.
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this article are entirely those of the author and not of The DEFENDER Newspaper.
