Tinubu, Obi, Atiku Primary, O’Level Certificates Missing: INEC Publishes Presidential Candidates’ Documents
By Oluwatobiloba Olukanni
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have officially published credentials of candidates contesting the January 16, 2027, Presidential and National Assembly elections.
An announcement by the electoral body on August 1st, 2026, through its X handle, revealed that the statutory public display commenced simultaneously across all INEC state offices and local government headquarters nationwide.
Speaking to press, the representative of the resident electoral commissioner (REC), FCT, Mrs. Bimbo Oladunjoye, said that the exercise was executed in strict compliance with Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act 2026, which mandates the commission to publish candidates’ credentials within 21 days of receipt to facilitate public scrutiny and transparency before the polls.The Core Omissions in Candidate Submissions.
It was gathered that the official publication has generated massive public interest and political debate due to notable omissions in the educational histories submitted by the three primary presidential contenders.
There was an omission in the primary and secondary education credentials of Bola Ahmed Tinubu incumbent president of Nigeria and candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), his form EC9 exclusively captured his higher education qualification alone showing he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1979 from Chicago State University (CSU).
With just a sworn declaration, Tinubu maintained that his primary and secondary school certificates were permanently lost when his properties were looted during his period in political exile under the military regime of Sani Abacha.
Also, the former vice president Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and his running mate, former minister of transportation Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, did not present a primary school certificate and that notice of discrepancy found on Atiku’s General Certificate of Education (GCE) External WAEC certificate issued under the name “Sidiqq Abubakar.
He also did not submit an undergraduate university degree or polytechnic diploma, choosing instead to attach a master’s degree certificate obtained from a United Kingdom institution in 2021.
Furthermore, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate Peter Obi and his running mate the former governor of Kano State Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, with what looks like patterns omitted their primary and secondary school certificates from the published documents cited that he only tendered his higher education qualifications.
INEC expresses their satisfaction in the exercise seeing it as a safeguard against forgery and misrepresentation.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have officially published credentials of candidates contesting the January 16, 2027, Presidential and National Assembly elections.
An announcement by the electoral body on August 1st, 2026, through its X handle, revealed that the statutory public display commenced simultaneously across all INEC state offices and local government headquarters nationwide.
Speaking to press, the representative of the resident electoral commissioner (REC), FCT, Mrs. Bimbo Oladunjoye, said that the exercise was executed in strict compliance with Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act 2026, which mandates the commission to publish candidates’ credentials within 21 days of receipt to facilitate public scrutiny and transparency before the polls.The Core Omissions in Candidate Submissions.
It was gathered that the official publication has generated massive public interest and political debate due to notable omissions in the educational histories submitted by the three primary presidential contenders.
There was an omission in the primary and secondary education credentials of Bola Ahmed Tinubu incumbent president of Nigeria and candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), his form EC9 exclusively captured his higher education qualification alone showing he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1979 from Chicago State University (CSU).
With just a sworn declaration, Tinubu maintained that his primary and secondary school certificates were permanently lost when his properties were looted during his period in political exile under the military regime of Sani Abacha.
Also, the former vice president Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and his running mate, former minister of transportation Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, did not present a primary school certificate and that notice of discrepancy found on Atiku’s General Certificate of Education (GCE) External WAEC certificate issued under the name “Sidiqq Abubakar.
He also did not submit an undergraduate university degree or polytechnic diploma, choosing instead to attach a master’s degree certificate obtained from a United Kingdom institution in 2021.
Furthermore, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate Peter Obi and his running mate the former governor of Kano State Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, with what looks like patterns omitted their primary and secondary school certificates from the published documents cited that he only tendered his higher education qualifications.
INEC expresses their satisfaction in the exercise seeing it as a safeguard against forgery and misrepresentation.
