The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained why the primary and secondary school certificates of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu were not included among the credentials it recently published for presidential candidates ahead of the 2027 general election.
The explanation comes amid renewed scrutiny of the documents submitted by Tinubu and allegations by opposition figures concerning his academic credentials.
INEC: We Published Only What Candidates Submitted
A senior INEC official, speaking to The PUNCH, said the commission’s role was limited to publishing the documents submitted by candidates.
According to the official, INEC does not have the constitutional authority to question candidates about documents they submitted, demand additional credentials or alter the materials presented to the commission.
“We only published what was submitted to the commission. We don’t have any authority to question those ones,” the official said.
The official added that the publication was intended to give Nigerians an opportunity to examine the candidates’ credentials and raise objections where they considered necessary.
“…Our own is just to publish so that anybody who has an objection can raise issues with what we’ve published,” the source said.
Fresh Allegations Against Tinubu
The issue has attracted further attention following a petition reportedly submitted by legal counsel and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain Kalu Agu to the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium.
Agu accused Tinubu of presenting false academic credentials to INEC as part of the constitutional requirements for the 2027 presidential election.
He also alleged that the President did not disclose the primary and secondary schools he attended in the documents submitted to the electoral commission.
These remain allegations and have not been established as fact by the information contained in the report.
Atiku Challenges Tinubu’s Eligibility
The controversy also comes against the backdrop of a separate legal challenge by Atiku Abubakar, the ADC presidential candidate.
Atiku approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking Tinubu’s disqualification from the 2027 presidential election over an alleged forged NYSC certificate.
Atiku personally appeared at the court registry to depose to an affidavit supporting the suit filed against Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and INEC.
INEC’s explanation does not, by itself, determine whether any credential submitted by a candidate is genuine or whether a candidate meets all constitutional requirements.
Rather, the commission says it published the documents presented to it and expects any objections concerning those documents to be raised through the appropriate legal or electoral processes.
With the 2027 presidential election approaching, scrutiny of candidates’ qualifications is likely to remain a major issue as political parties and their supporters intensify preparations for the contest….see more