Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has claimed that US President Donald Trump referred to Nigeria as a “disgraced country” due to a certificate forgery scandal involving the nation’s president.
Obi made the statement on Saturday in Akwa Ibom during his official declaration for the ADC presidential ticket, taking a pointed jab at President Bola Tinubu amid ongoing debates about his academic credentials.
“I went to Indonesia and asked their election organisers about the qualification to be president. They said if someone forged their qualification, they would be jailed,” Obi said. “Here, it is treated as a pre-election matter. Someone forges a certificate or doesn’t have one, and it is allowed. That’s why the American president called Nigeria a ‘disgraced country.’”
The remark comes amid the continuing Tinubu Chicago State University certificate controversy. Opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar had sought court approval to subpoena Tinubu’s academic records, citing inconsistencies in public documents. Tinubu filed to block the release of the records, and the Nigerian Supreme Court later dismissed new evidence, reaffirming his victory in the 2023 presidential election.
