Johnchuks Onuanyim 
For accusing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of forgery of the Chicago State University (CSU) certificate, the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations and Political Parties for Good Governance has called on President Bola Tinubu to strip the Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar of the national honour of Grand Commander of The Order of Niger (GCON).
Dr. Lilan Ogbole, convener of the coalition made the call while addressing a press conference on Thursday in Abuja.
Former Vice President articulate is alleging that the Chicago State University certificate submitted to INEC by President Tinubu is fake, therefore seeking his disqualification.
But speaking on Thursday, Ogbole said it kept getting clearer that the former Vice President was on a collision course with the national interest and has never subscribed to true democracy nor respected the rule of law.
Ogbole stressed that these assertions were made even clearer when he revealed to the world during the recent world press conference, how he single-handedly relinquished Lagos state to Tinubu, while they “fraudulently” took over other South-western states by hook and crook during the 2003 general election.
He noted that this was no doubt a mockery of Nigerians’ collective sensibility as a people committed to the ideals of constitutional democracy.
Igbole stressed that the coalition is not only shocked that Atiku was going to the extent he was because he has always been a bad loser and an undependable ally to his friends and cronies.
She pointed out that the former vice president was definitely not the man Nigeria could be comfortably entrusted in his hands if his appalling and noxiating leadership antecedents are anything to go by.
Ogbole stated: “The fact that Alh. Atiku Abubakar serially lost his bid to become the President of Nigeria isn’t enough reason why he should deliberately drag the image of Nigeria, and that of the coveted office of the Vice President, which he once occupied in the mud. This is unacceptable to us, and we will not henceforth sit down and watch him do such a thing.
“As stakeholders in the business of nation building, we wish to use this medium to call on his excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to utilize the authority confined on him by the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, to protect the image and interest of the country by stripping Alh. Atiku Abubakar Sadiq of the national honours of Grand Commander of The Order of Niger (GCON).
You will agree with us that a man with Atiku’s character is not honourable and does not deserve to keep the award that is meant for honourable men and women of repute.”
The coalition stressed that this would serve as a deterrent to others so that Nigerians could begin to henceforth attach some regard to the office of the president.
It said if Atiku’s recent press conference aptly described as a face-saving gimmick to capture power from the back door by weeping casual sentiments by fabricating and speculating lies that have been globally verified and completely buried forever, Peter Obi’s belated press conference of October 11th 2023, over the same issue, was at best Childish, Shameful and laughable.
It emphasised that rather than providing evidence to contradict Tinubu’s submissions to INEC, Obi laughably requested the President to help him with evidence that would invalidate the certificates and information submitted to INEC.
