Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate for the 2023 general election, has refuted claims that he falsified his secondary school certificate with the name “Sadiq Abubakar”.
According to Atiku, he adopted the name “Sadiq Abubakar” when he registered for his West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examination in 1961 and later changed his name to “Atiku Abubakar” by swearing an affidavit.
He disclosed this through his media aide, Dele Momodu, who shared Atiku’s explanation on his social media platform, X, on Tuesday, October 10. Momodu said he contacted Atiku after receiving the allegations of forgery from some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who pointed out the inconsistency in Atiku’s WAEC certificate and his other credentials.
Momodu quoted Atiku as saying, “Yes, I used Sadiq Abubakar to sit for my WAEC, and after passing my exams, I went to swear an affidavit to say I am the same person as ATIKU Abubakar. I went to ABU as Atiku Abubakar and passed my exams as Atiku Abubakar. Interviewed as Atiku Abubakar by the Federal Civil Service Commission and hired into the Customs Service as Atiku Abubakar. So where is the forgery there?”
Atiku also challenged the APC to forward their questions to their boss (Tinubu) and former President Muhammadu Buhari, who has been accused of not having a valid secondary school certificate.
