Harvard University has disowned Senator Dino Melaye, saying he did not get any degree from the institution.

Melaye is currently facing a certificate scandal, after it was reported that he did not graduate from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Kaduna as he claimed.

On Tuesday, Senator Ali Ndume raised a point of order asking the Senate to probe the allegations that Melaye did not graduate from ABU.

In response, Melaye insisted that not only did he graduate from ABU, he also has a degree from Harvard.

He said: “I am here to respond to the issue raised by the Boko Haram suspect (and) senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Ali Ndume.

“I want to say, to me, it is a welcome development. Democracy is about investigation and no senator is above investigation. To me, it is a welcome development and it will finally clear the air on all the malicious and vindictive allegations.

“To say that I did not graduate from ABU is to say that I am not a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. ABU is a very prestigious university in this country and it is not possible for one to be running a master’s programme in the university when one did not graduate from a university. I have successfully completed one and I am doing the second one.

“I want to announce that this is the eighth degree that I am pursuing. I am also a graduate of University of Abuja, where I did Masters in Policy Analysis. I am a graduate of London School of Economics and Political Science. I am also a graduate of Harvard University. The course I am pursuing now will make it my eighth degree.”

However, Sahara Reporters contacted Harvard, who explained that Melaye only did a one-week development course in 2016.

Their tweet read: “Contrary to claims by@dino_melaye that he acquired academic degree at @Harvard the university said there was nothing like that.‎

“@Harvard’s Kennedy School Executive Education said @dino_melaye only attended a professional dev course that lasted 1 week in 2016.”