A former lecturer at Chicago State University (CSU), Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse, has claimed that he provided information regarding President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s academic background to envoys acting on behalf of late Lagos politician Engineer Funsho Williams ahead of the 1999 governorship election.
Speaking during a live broadcast on News Central TV on Sunday, November 8, 2026, Pearse, who is also a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, asserted that President Tinubu never attended the American institution.
Pearse explained that during his tenure as a lecturer and director of the academic program at CSU between 1985 and 1990, representatives sent by Funsho Williams approached him in 1999 to verify Tinubu’s credentials during their intense political rivalry within the Alliance for Democracy.
Pearse recalled handing over the academic records in his possession to the envoys, noting that all the information former Vice President Atiku Abubakar later spent months seeking during the 2023 election disputes was already with him at the time.
However, Pearse added that he advised Williams’ team at the time not to rely on certificate verification to win the election, urging them instead to focus their political campaign on criticizing Tinubu’s public performance.
The claims have sparked renewed public debate, though Pearse’s timeline conflicts with official university records.
Under oath during U.S. court proceedings in October 2023, CSU Registrar Caleb Westberg confirmed that Bola Ahmed Tinubu was admitted to the university in August 1977 and graduated in June 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.
Analysts have also noted that Pearse’s documented period at CSU from 1985 to 1990 began six years after Tinubu’s verified graduation.
As of press time, presidential spokespersons Bayo Onanuga and Daniel Bwala have not issued an official response to Dr. Pearse’s broadcast statements.
