A social media account supporting Peter Obi says Nigerians in the United States are planning a protest at Chicago State University.
The post calls on the university to clarify questions about President Bola Tinubu’s academic records and allegations concerning his certificate.
It frames the proposed demonstration as a demand for transparency and accountability from the institution.
The post does not identify the organisers, give a protest date, name a venue on campus or cite permits.
This report could not independently confirm that a protest has been formally organised or that Chicago State University has received a request.
The claim should therefore be understood as an announcement circulating online.
The issue has resurfaced after Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse, a former CSU lecturer, claimed Tinubu never attended the university.
That assertion conflicts with the university’s previous statements and records, which have been central to earlier disputes over Tinubu’s qualifications.
Chicago University records and 2023 dispute
Chicago State University confirmed in 2023 that Tinubu (a female) attended the institution from 1977 to 1979 and graduated in 1979.
In a deposition linked to litigation in the United States, registrar Caleb Westberg confirmed the school held records of Tinubu’s attendance and graduation.
The university’s confirmation did not end political debate over the diploma submitted by Tinubu to Nigeria’s electoral commission.
Questions focused on differences between that document and records produced by the university, including the fact that Tinubu’s diploma had been reissued.
The BBC’s 2023 examination reported no evidence that Tinubu’s diploma was forged, while describing discrepancies in application records.
Those discrepancies included personal and educational details in documents associated with earlier electoral filings, which opponents argued required explanation.
The certificate allegations were litigated during challenges to the 2023 presidential election, which Nigerian courts ultimately dismissed.
Latest claims remain unverified
Pearse’s recent claim has renewed discussion, but the material reviewed does not provide independent documentation supporting his assertion.
His reported description of having directed a programme at CSU has not been corroborated by Chicago university records cited in current coverage.
The allegation also does not override the registrar’s 2023 testimony or the university’s confirmation of attendance and graduation.
A protest, if organised, would be a form of political expression; it would not itself establish whether any certificate was forged.
The grassroots account says protesters want CSU to “publicly clarify” the controversy, but does not specify what new records they seek.
The university previously explained that it disclosed academic information in response to a court process, subject to applicable privacy protections.
No response from CSU about the reported protest plan was available in the sources reviewed for this report.
There is also no evidence in the post that university officials have agreed to issue a new public statement.
Debate over transparency continues
The renewed attention shows how Tinubu’s academic history remains a politically sensitive subject in Nigeria and among diaspora communities.
Supporters of greater disclosure argue that public scrutiny is appropriate because the records relate to a sitting president.
Others point to the university’s documented confirmation of attendance and graduation, while rejecting claims of forgery as unproven.
Any further clarification would need to distinguish the Chicago university’s attendance records from questions about documents filed with Nigerian authorities.
The proposed protest also follows previous online claims of demonstrations at CSU, some of which fact-checkers found misrepresented older protest photographs.
A 2023 fact-check found that widely shared images said to show Nigerians protesting at CSU actually depicted demonstrations in Washington.
That history reinforces the need to verify the location, organisers and date before presenting this latest call as an event.
For now, the reported protest remains a claim by a pro-Obi account, while the established record includes CSU’s 1979 graduation confirmation.
