What exactly does the two losing candidates in last presidential election in Nigeria, Mr Peter Obi and Alhaji Atiku want again?
Chicago State University has confirmed the studentship and graduating with honours of President Bola Tinubu from the school as submitted when he was a candidate and vying for the presidency which is a critical requirement to be the President of Nigeria.
They have been given another opportunity to prove their case at the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land to get justice if they think they have any reasonable case.
While the requirements for becoming the president of a country vary from one country to another, I have not come across a country where confirmation of ancestry, proof of parentage or DNA test is demanded of the president of a nation.
In all democratic countries, eligibility to become president is defined by the constitution or the law of that country, Nigeria is not different and should not be different. Common requirements include age, citizenship, educational qualification and, in some cases, residency. Paternity or confirmation of parentage is not part of these eligibility criteria.
Paternity tests are used to determine the biological parentage of an individual, and they are usually considered private matters. The eligibility to run for public office is typically focused on broader constitutional and legal qualifications, such as being a natural-born citizen, reaching a certain age, education qualification and meeting residency requirements, among other criteria.
President Tinubu has openly declared in public that he belongs to the Tinubu family and the only category of people who can dispute that fact is his family, even if he had been adopted, that is strictly a personal affair that should not be part of political debate, being a President does not mean has lost his right as a citizen to disclose personal information, even if Tinubu was an adopted child the constitution of our country does not disqualify him or discriminated against him, or prohibit him or any individual from running for or holding public office.
The attitude that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr. Peter Obi are demonstrating does not show patriotism, they are bad and sore losers who will stop at nothing but to distract and denigrate the President from doing his job since they failed in occupying the office.
They are finding it difficult to accept defeat gracefully and are now exhibiting behaviours or attitudes that are considered unsportsmanlike or uncooperative.
It is a shame to the prestige of our nation for these two politicians to continue to use their loss as an opportunity to further polarize the public, promoting conspiracy theories or encouraging divisive rhetoric.
In our political calendar, whoever lost the election may contest again in 2027, this attitude may haunt them in the future from achieving this goal, it is generally considered important for politicians, like all public figures, to uphold democratic principles and engage in a peaceful, orderly, and respectful behavior when they lose elections or political battles. Such behaviour contributes to the stability and credibility of democratic systems and promotes the greater good of the society they serve.
It is difficult to understand the rationale behind their action, maybe victory would have come their way if they had formed alliances like this and worked together before the election, but this coalition of losers may not yield any positive dividend now that the election season is over, what they hope to achieve is alien to democratic principle.
–Dr. Wole Durodolu
