The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained why the primary and secondary school certificates of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu were not published among the credentials of presidential candidates for the 2027 general election.
An INEC official told The PUNCH that the commission only published the documents submitted by the candidates. The official said INEC does not have the power to question or change the credentials submitted by candidates.
The official explained that the documents were published to allow Nigerians to examine them and raise objections if they found any issue.
The source said INEC is not constitutionally authorised to question candidates about the authenticity of their certificates or why they did not submit certain documents.
“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 explanation came after questions were raised about the absence of Tinubu’s primary and secondary school certificates from the documents published by INEC.
On Friday, a legal counsel and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Kalu Agu, submitted a petition against Tinubu to the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium.
Agu accused the President of presenting false academic credentials to INEC as part of the requirements for the 2027 presidential election.
He also alleged that Tinubu did not disclose the primary and secondary schools he attended in the documents submitted to INEC.
Similarly, ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, asking the court to disqualify Tinubu from the 2027 presidential election over an alleged forged NYSC certificate.
Atiku personally visited the registry of the Federal High Court in Abuja to swear to an affidavit supporting the case filed against Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and INEC.
The 5Ws and 1H of the story are:
Who: The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
What: INEC explained why Tinubu’s primary and secondary school certificates were not published among his submitted credentials.
When: The explanation was reported on Sunday, August 16, 2026.
Where: The issue concerns documents submitted to INEC ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with related legal actions taking place in Abuja and Brussels.
Why: INEC said it only publishes documents submitted by candidates and does not have the authority to question or alter the credentials presented to it.
How: INEC published the credentials submitted by presidential candidates to allow Nigerians to examine them and raise objections where necessary.
