"Arrest Me and See What Happens!" — Pearse Dares FG, Threatens to Expose 'More' in Tinubu Certificate War

Abdulhameed Sherif · Politics · Nov 13, 2026

Intriguing Summary: Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse, the former Chicago State University lecturer who claims President Bola Tinubu never graduated, has dared the Federal Government to arrest him—and he's not bluffing. In a defiant interview from London, Pearse said he has "proof" and warned.

Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and former lecturer at Chicago State University (CSU), has escalated his war with the Federal Government by daring them to arrest him over his claims about President Bola Tinubu's academic credentials. Speaking to Daily Independent on Friday, November 13, 2026, from London, Pearse insisted that Tinubu did not graduate from CSU and warned that any attempt to detain him would backfire spectacularly.

"What are they going to arrest me for? I said Tinubu did not graduate from Chicago State University because I have proof that he didn't graduate," Pearse said. "Believe me, they will not dare come for me because if they do, I will expose them more. They don't have any case against me". He challenged the authorities to take him to court before any arrest, vowing to sue if they came for him and refusing to honour any invitation. "Even if they ask me to come, I will not go. I will tell them to come and arrest me and then they will give me reasons why they are coming to my house".

Pearse's claims center on his role as a coordinator of the programme Tinubu allegedly attended. He argued that Tinubu never studied Accounting, and that the records he accessed showed a discrepancy in the name. "They asked me to look for a MR BOLA AHMED TINUBU. When I sent it, they said they don't have that but they have a MISS BOLA TINUBU," he said. He also dismissed critics like television presenter Reuben Abati, insisting that the programme was akin to a distance-learning initiative and that his administrative role gave him access to the records.

The Presidency, however, has not taken the allegations lying down. Presidential aide Dada Olusegun issued a blistering rebuttal, pointing out a glaring timeline problem: Tinubu graduated from CSU in 1979, but Pearse only taught there from 1985 to 1990—six years after Tinubu had already left the institution. Olusegun also questioned Pearse's qualifications, noting that he holds a PhD in Linguistics and taught English/Literature, making him unqualified to supervise an Accounting and Business Administration programme. He further argued that teaching at a university for five years does not grant access to its entire student database, and that verification must go through the institution itself. He also dismissed Pearse's suggestion that the International Criminal Court (ICC) could prosecute certificate controversies, stating flatly that "the ICC does not try certificate controversies".

The stakes have since been raised by an APC chieftain, Oluremi Omowaiye, who issued a seven-day ultimatum demanding that Pearse retract his allegations and apologise in at least seven national newspapers or face legal prosecution. Omowaiye, the Executive Director (Project Implementations) at the Federal Housing Authority, said a petition had been prepared for the Inspector General of Police and the Department of State Services should Pearse fail to comply. He cited the October 2023 testimony of CSU Registrar Caleb Westberg, who confirmed under oath that Tinubu attended the institution from August 1977 to June 1979 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, majoring in Accounting—facts, Omowaiye said, that were subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

The controversy has also drawn in high-profile commentators. Veteran journalist Reuben Abati has questioned Pearse's authority to speak on the matter, while activist Deji Adeyanju has dismissed the renewed certificate saga as "boring" and a distraction from the real issues ahead of the 2027 elections. Pearse, however, remains unbowed, framing the pushback as an attack on free speech. "Is it not a banana republic when you run the economy aground and people cannot afford to eat?" he asked. "So, who is trying to turn Nigeria into a banana republic between me and Tinubu?". For now, the man who claims to hold the secrets of Tinubu's academic past is daring the government to make its move—and warning that if they do, the consequences will be theirs to bear.