CSU Saga: Rights activist reveals one factor that can make Tinubu resign as president

The controversy surrounding President Bola Tinubu's academic legitimacy and past has continued to generate opinions and doubts about Nigeria's democracy.

President Tinubu and his legal team will head to the Supreme Court to defend his victory in the last presidential election.

Tinubu might also be forced to defend the authenticity of his academic certificate from the Chicago State University (CSU).

Speaking on this recent development, the chairman of the board of Amnesty International, Nigeria, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, stated that the Nigerian political scene has no ounce of integrity.

In an exclusive phone conversation with Legit.ng, Rafsanjani said Nigerian politicians do not understand public and personal integrity.

He said the absence of integrity in the political sphere has destabilised governance and the order of things.

Asked what President Tinubu should do amidst the call for his resignation by his opponents, Rafsanjani said: "He will not resign because, in the first place, he has already told you that it is his own time. You will not expect him to resign since it has been personalised and acquired by all means.

"Because of the absence of integrity in the political system, because power is seen as an accumulation of wealth, recklessness, and abuse of due process, the officials in Nigeria will not resign." Rafsanjani:

He, however, stated that the only reason why Tinubu would resign is if there is an elitist consensus.

Rafsanjani said the only way is "when the Nigerian people rise up, the media, the civil society, the electorates, the international community to put pressure on any official."

He said: "The only way that Tinubu could resign is when there's a mass demand at all levels when there's an elite consensus. Because if the poor continue to protest, he has already told you he would not listen to you.

"So the only thing that can make Tinubu resign is when there's elite consensus. Which, unfortunately, the elite consensus has not been arrived at.

"In this case, when we talk about elite consensus, we're talking about across all divides; Politicians, security agencies, and non-state actors would have agreed that what has happened is not something we should be proud of. What has happened is not something we should leave as a legacy."