Tinubu, Atiku omit primary, secondary certificates as INEC publishes candidates’ particulars

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published the personal particulars of candidates contesting the 2027 presidential and national assembly elections.

The particulars were displayed at INEC offices in local government headquarters across the country.

The commission also published the personal particulars of the vice-presidential candidates.

The documents include candidates’ full names, gender, residential addresses, educational qualifications, and work experience.

The electoral commission had said section 29 (3) of the Electoral Act 2026 provides for the publication of candidates’ particulars within 21 days of receiving them

The three major presidential candidates are President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), and Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

In the personal particulars published by INEC, Tinubu did not provide details of his primary and secondary education. He only listed his university qualification, indicating that he obtained a BSc degree in 1979.

His certificate from Chicago State University (CSU) was also included in the documents. Tinubu’s CSU certificate was the subject of intense public controversy in the lead-up to the 2023 presidential election.

There were allegations during the 2023 presidential election that the Bola Tinubu who attended CSU was not the current president of Nigeria.

In the lead-up to the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu did not provide details of his primary and secondary education in the personal particulars he submitted to INEC.

Unlike Tinubu, Obi listed all his academic qualifications, including primary and secondary schools he attended and the university.

The former Anambra governor indicated that he completed his primary education at Augustine’s Primary School, Anambra, in 1973 and his secondary school education at Christ the King College in 1978.

However, the primary and secondary school certificates were included in the particulars Obi submitted to INEC.

Obi listed the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), as his alma mater, indicating that he graduated in 1984 and attached his certificate.

According to his particulars, Atiku obtained his First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) in 1954, his West African School Certificate in 1961. However, he did not indicate the schools he attended or attached the certificates,

He, however, attached the certificate for his Master of Arts degree in International Relations, obtained in 2020 from Anglia Ruskin University in England, United Kingdom (UK).

Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), indicated in his particulars that he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate in 1980, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) certificate in 1987, and a master’s degree in 2003. He did not indicate the primary and secondary schools he attended.

Sowore also did not indicate if he obtained a first degree in the particulars he submitted to INEC, but attached evidence of his master’s degree obtained from Columbia University. (TheCable)