…as commission displays President, VP Shettima, other candidates’ credentials
President Bola Tinubu has failed to list his primary and secondary school qualifications in the educational qualifications section of the personal particulars submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission for the 2027 presidential election.
The documents, published by INEC on Saturday in line with its revised timetable for the 2027 general elections, contain the nomination papers and supporting credentials of presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the various political parties scheduled to contest in next year’s polls.
A review of President Tinubu’s EC9 nomination form shows that under the educational qualifications section, he listed only his Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Business Administration obtained from Chicago State University in 1979.
But he left blank the sections provided for his primary and secondary school qualifications. They were entered as “0000.”
Tinubu attached copies of his university degree certificate and National Youth Service Corps certificate to his nomination papers.
On his form, President Tinubu stated that he was born on March 29, 1952, in Lagos and described his occupation as a “Politician.”
Tinubu also declared that he worked at Mobil Nigeria Limited between 1983 and 1992 before serving as Governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007.
The President listed his current employer as the Federal Government of Nigeria from 2023 to date and stated that he had never been dismissed from public service.
For Vice President Shettima, the displayed documents traced his education from primary school.
His Certificate of Primary Education, issued by the Ministry of Education, North-Eastern State, showed that he attended Lamisula I Primary School between 1972 and 1978, finishing second out of 22 pupils in his final year, with English, History and Religious Knowledge listed as his strongest subjects.
His West African Examinations Council result, obtained at Government Secondary School, Potiskum, in June 1983, showed six credits and passes, including a distinction in Religious Knowledge and Economics.
Shettima proceeded to the University of Maiduguri, where records showed he bagged a Second Class Upper Division degree in Agriculture in August 1989, before earning a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics from the University of Ibadan.
His NYSC discharge certificate indicated he served from October 1989 to October 1990.
The display, contained in Form EC9, is a statutory requirement under Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which mandates INEC to publish candidates’ particulars within 21 days of receipt.
INEC, in a statement, explained Form EC9 contains the credentials, personal particulars and affidavits submitted by candidates.
“Form EC9 contains the credentials, personal particulars and affidavits submitted by candidates sponsored by political parties,” it stated.
The documents were displayed at INEC offices nationwide, including its Lagos State office in Sabo-Yaba and Local Government Area offices within affected constituencies.
The Electoral Act empowers members of the public to apply to INEC for certified true copies of nomination forms and other documents submitted by candidates, and to seek legal redress over allegations of false declaration or forgery.
Campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled to begin on August 19, while those for governorship and state assembly elections will follow later, in line with the commission’s revised timetable.
