Regina Otokpa 
A civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has asked the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, to clear allegations and controversies surrounding theirbirthdays, age, certificates, and businesses. The rights group noted that the candidates must publicise sworn affidavits before a Federal High Court toenableNigeriansknowthe true identities of the persons seeking their votes as voting was a social contract, which would not be transparent if voters were asked to vote for persons whose vital statistics they were not sure about.
The National Coordinator of HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement,yesterday, said although it hasnothing todowithallegations made at various places andtimesbysomepoliticians against Ahmed Tinubu and former vice president, Atiku, it would be far better and much more credible if the high-profile individuals couldrespondbythemselves once and for all to clear the doubts about the key questions about them. According to Onwubiko, Nigerians deserve to know everything about the persons putting themselves forward to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.
“There is need for clarity on the identity doubts around APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu. Nigerians deserve to know everything about him with proof, beginning with allegations of him as a kid being transported to Canada with the name Bola Tinubu, which isn’t his originally; the unclear stories about his parents, elementary education and lots more.
All are still allegations that are yet unproven, but there is the need for His Excellency to take out a court affidavit responding to these groundswell of unverified allegations. “These issues must be made clear to Nigerians by APC presidential candidate himself, not by proxy, before hebeginscampaign; because the citizens who are owners of thesovereigntyof Nigeria have the legal right to know.
