The Independent National Electoral Commission has explained why President Bola Tinubu’s primary and secondary school certificates were not included among the credentials published for presidential candidates ahead of the 2027 general election.
A top-ranking official at the commission who preferred not to be named said INEC only published the documents submitted by the candidates and had no authority to question or alter the credentials presented to it.
The source, who spoke with Sunday PUNCH, said the publication was also intended to allow members of the public to scrutinise the documents and raise objections where necessary.
“We only published what was submitted to the commission. We don’t have any authority to question those ones. I mean, our own is just to publish so that anybody who has an objection can raise issues with what we’ve published,” the source said.
The clarification followed observations by Nigerians after INEC published the credentials of presidential candidates for the 2027 election, with the primary and secondary school certificates of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Tinubu, conspicuously absent from the documents made public.
Meanwhile, Saturday PUNCH reported that, on Friday, a legal counsel and ADC chieftain, Kalu Agu, submitted a petition against Tinubu to the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium.
Agu alleged that the President presented false academic credentials to INEC as part of the constitutional requirements for the 2027 presidential election.
He also alleged that Tinubu failed to disclose the primary and secondary schools he attended in documents submitted to the commission.
A video shared on X by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s media aide, Paul Ibe, showed Agu submitting the petition to the European Commission.
Agu asked the European Union to intervene over what he described as an alleged subversion of Nigeria’s constitutional order.
However, INEC’s explanation indicates that the documents published by the commission were based on what was submitted by the candidates, while objections to the contents or authenticity of the documents can be raised through the appropriate processes.
Additionally, Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, on Friday 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 registry of the Federal High Court in Abuja to depose to an affidavit supporting the suit filed against Tinubu, the APC and INEC.
The suit relies on Sections 137(1)(j), 139(1)(a)(i) and 285(14)(c) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
Section 137(1)(j) provides that a person shall not be qualified for election as President if he has presented a forged certificate to INEC.
Atiku and the ADC are asking the court to determine whether Tinubu should be disqualified from contesting the 2027 presidential election over the allegation that he submitted a forged NYSC certificate in connection with his presidential candidacy.
According to Atiku’s affidavit, the NYSC discharge certificate allegedly submitted to INEC bears the name, “Tinubu Bola Adekunle,” rather than the President’s name, “Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
The plaintiffs are also seeking an order disqualifying Tinubu and the APC from participating in the 2027 presidential election if the allegations are established.
Atiku argued that the authenticity of certificates presented by candidates should be subjected to the same standard applicable to ordinary Nigerians.
“The Presidency is not an immunity certificate against constitutional scrutiny,” he said.
The former Vice President also called on INEC to demonstrate its neutrality by producing the relevant electoral records.
CIURTESY: PUNCH
