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By Our Reporter

Former Director of the University Without Walls programme at Chicago State University, Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse, has reignited controversy over President Bola Tinubu’s educational background, insisting that the Nigerian leader never attended the American institution.

Pearse, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, made the assertion during an appearance on News Central’s Breakfast Central programme, where he claimed that his five-year teaching experience at the university gave him direct knowledge of the institution and the programme Tinubu was alleged to have attended.

According to him, he was not only a lecturer at Chicago State University for five years but also headed the University Without Walls programme, which Tinubu reportedly claimed to have attended.

“Tinubu is a professional bonafide liar,” Pearse declared, insisting that his experience at the institution contradicted the President’s educational claims.

The former university director also turned his attention to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, warning him against any alleged attempt to manipulate the outcome of the 2027 general elections in favour of the ruling party.

Pearse cautioned that electoral misconduct could attract consequences beyond Nigeria, suggesting that those involved might face international criminal proceedings.

“We know he’s (Amupitan) going to do his best, but he better be careful. I have said it before. This thing may end up in international criminal courts,” he warned.

In an even more provocative remark, the PDP chieftain suggested that Tinubu and the INEC chairman could eventually find themselves serving time in the same prison.

“Maybe Amupitan and Tinubu, both of them will die in the same cell. That’s a strong statement, too,” he added.

When challenged over the severity of his comments, Pearse defended his choice of language, arguing that the country’s political circumstances demanded strong expressions against what he described as criminal conduct within public institutions.

He maintained that Nigeria had reached a point where conventional political language was insufficient to confront alleged wrongdoing.

The former lecturer also questioned the credibility of the country’s electoral process, accusing Tinubu of possessing particular expertise in election manipulation, although he did not provide specific evidence to substantiate the allegation during the broadcast.

Beyond the controversy surrounding the President’s educational background and the 2027 elections, Pearse condemned the country’s prevailing socio-economic conditions, citing rising poverty, unemployment and insecurity as evidence of what he described as the administration’s failure to address the fundamental challenges confronting Nigerians.

His comments add another dimension to the growing political exchanges ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the credibility of the electoral umpire, the conduct of political actors and accountability in public office increasingly featuring in opposition criticism of the Tinubu administration.

However, Pearse’s allegations concerning Tinubu’s university attendance and possible electoral misconduct remain his personal claims and were not independently established by his remarks on the television programme.