The publication of President Bola Tinubu’s nomination documents for the 2027 presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission has reignited political controversy over his educational qualifications after his personal particulars did not list primary or secondary school certificates.
The development has sparked renewed debate among political parties and stakeholders, with opposition figures demanding explanations over the omission, while others argue that the issue was conclusively determined during litigation arising from the 2023 presidential election.
INEC on Saturday published the nomination forms and supporting credentials of presidential and vice-presidential candidates in accordance with the timetable for the 2027 general election.
A review of Tinubu’s EC9 nomination form showed that the President listed only a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University under the educational qualifications section, leaving the spaces for his primary and secondary school qualifications blank.
However, copies of his Chicago State University degree certificate and National Youth Service Corps certificate were attached to the nomination papers.
In the form, Tinubu stated that he was born on March 29, 1952, in Lagos, described his occupation as “Politician,” and declared that he worked at Mobil Nigeria Limited between 1983 and 1992 before serving as Governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007.
He also listed the Federal Government as his current employer from 2023 to date and stated that he had never been dismissed from public service.
Reacting to the publication, the National Publicity Secretary of the National Democratic Coalition, Osa Director, said the President and his aides should explain why the certificates were omitted.
“It is so disappointing that this is what we are talking about. Again, I believe that we are just raising this question for academic purposes. We don’t know the answer to our question. That is, those certificates are not there. So, it is what it is,” he said.
Director argued that the questions should be directed at the President rather than the opposition.
“They should be able to tell us what happened. Because when you fill out forms online and to submit, it will reject your submission, saying you have not completed filling in all the necessary information.
“So, I am surprised that this form went through INEC, knowing it was not filled.
“INEC also has a question to answer by accepting that form when the information was incomplete, though we also have to commend them for having the guts to publish it for all Nigerians to see the gaps. So, over to the President.”
The spokesman for the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Habibu Muhammed, also described the concerns as legitimate, saying Nigerians deserved a clear explanation.
“It doesn’t matter whether somebody got away with it the first time (2023). Let it be scrutinised and proven.
“If that means a violation of the law or shortcomings, I think there is really nothing more important than making sure that the right thing is done at whatever point it was discovered,” he said.
Muhammed added that a definitive judicial interpretation would help end recurring controversies over candidates’ academic qualifications.
Offering a different perspective, Labour Party National Publicity Secretary, Ken Asogwa, maintained that the issue should be assessed strictly within the ambit of the law.
“The law allows him to tender that B.Sc without the other documents that are assumed he would have got before getting the B.Sc. So if the law permits that, I don’t see the hue and cries over it,” Asogwa said.
He noted that although a university degree ordinarily presupposes prior completion of primary and secondary education, the matter had already been litigated up to the Supreme Court after the 2023 election.
“But, as I said, it is a matter of law. For me, it bothers more on the moral aspect, which has nothing to do with his eligibility at this point,” he added.
The National Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Major Agbo, similarly urged aggrieved parties to seek judicial interpretation instead of debating the issue in the public space.
“If what INEC has published now is his certificate from Chicago University and people want to know whether he went through primary and secondary school, the right thing to do in a democracy is to ask the courts to help find out,” he said.
He argued that the Electoral Act permits candidates to present qualifications that meet the constitutional minimum requirement and advised critics to pursue legal remedies where necessary.
On the contrary, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Yunusa Tanko, insisted that the controversy remained unresolved.
“There is no need for us to continue debating this. Every Nigerian knows this man is not qualified academically. This is a big issue.
“Until it is proven that he is qualified, the controversy will continue. It is disgusting and embarrassing for INEC to even post it the way it did.
“It is a condemnable act because we know he is not qualified. It is a terrible thing, and we need to challenge it,” Tanko said.
The debate gathered further momentum on Sunday after a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Dino Melaye, alleged on his X page that Tinubu failed to submit his primary and secondary school certificates to INEC.
Melaye questioned how the President secured admission into a foreign university without first obtaining basic educational qualifications, writing: “See what Tinubu submitted to INEC, no primary, no secondary school, no Nigerian classmate…”
Tinubu, who is seeking a second term on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, is expected to contest the 2027 presidential election.
The renewed controversy comes more than three years after disputes over the President’s academic records featured prominently in legal challenges arising from the 2023 presidential election. Although those matters were litigated up to the Supreme Court, the publication of his latest nomination documents has again placed the issue at the centre of political discourse, with stakeholders divided over whether it raises legal questions or merely moral and political concerns.
