Former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, has aimed an indirect shot at the APC presidential candidate for 2023 election, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, over the controversy on his academic certificates.
In the INEC Form CF001 submitted on June 17, 2022, Tinubu did not provide details of his primary and secondary schools as the spaces were left blank.
The matter took another dimension when four APC chieftains approached the court to seek Tinubu’s disqualification from the presidential election.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed of Federal High Court, Abuja, has fixed September 7. 2022, for hearing.
But Saraki while speaking in Ilorin, said people with certificate issues were not fit to put themselves forward to rule Nigeria.
The summit with the theme: “Character as Leadership” was organized by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi Omoluabi Foundation as part of the International Youth Day programme.
According to him, “How can people who are struggling over basic issues of certificate aspire for the position of leadership anywhere in Nigeria?
“One of the core ingredients of leadership has to do with character. Nigeria has been ruined and the youth especially must be part of the process to elect those that will fix it to secure a bright future.
“My appeal to the youth is all about your future. In 2015, the rate of unemployment was only 8 percent, today, it is over 42 percent, in 2015, a dollar was N200 then but now N700. Cost of food has risen astronomically and rice is now over N30,000 from N10,000. We are all suffering because of choice of leadership.”
The former Senate President said the followers also have fault in the country’s predicament by choosing the wrong leaders.
“It is time we stop blaming the leaders because the followers also have roles to play, we know what is right and we know what is wrong, but we choose to do what is wrong.
“I was in the Senate, I knew what was wrong, I could have joined people to do what was wrong but I did what is right, it is time to do what is right.
“Though it’s difficult, I know, but if we do what is right, by the end of the day, we’ll get there. I want to appeal to all of us here, let us do what is right, let us stand for competence.
“There is no point for us coming to celebrate if we cannot take decision on choice of leadership, it is time for us to look at the choice of our leaders and when somebody comes out to vote, we should ask whether he has good character, courage and competence”, he said.
In his speech, Ekiti state governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi urged the youth to participate in politics and governance in the country to make it better.
Fayemi who was represented by Mr Akin Omole, Ekiti state Commissioner for Information said, “Every Omoluabi should participate in politics and government to move Nigeria forward.
In his welcome address, Abdullahi explained that the programme was meant to prepare youth to be armed and ready to determine the future of the country in the next 25 years.
Abdullahi, who is the Kwara Central Senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the forthcoming 2023 election gives the youth the opportunity to make the right choice of leadership.
He said, “Nigeria is a country with large number of people and large number of youth, there is need to prepare the youth for the future of this country and project what it will be in the next 25 to 50 years.”
