President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 nomination papers have reopened a question about who verifies the certificates of people seeking Nigeria’s highest office.
Development Diaries reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recently published the nomination papers of candidates for next year’s general election in line with Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act 2026, opening the statutory period for Nigerians to inspect their personal particulars and academic credentials.
Attention quickly shifted to President Tinubu’s Form EC9 after it listed a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Chicago State University awarded in 1979, while the sections for primary and secondary school qualifications on the summary page drew fresh scrutiny.
Opposition figures, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), questioned the omissions, while others argued that the courts had already settled the controversy during the 2023 election disputes.
Lost beneath the political arguments was INEC’s own clarification that it does not verify the authenticity of the certificates candidates submit before publishing them. The commission says its responsibility is simply to display the documents for public scrutiny, not to determine whether the credentials are genuine.
That means Nigerians are expected to perform a task many assume already belongs to the electoral umpire. INEC publishes the certificates, while citizens, political parties and, ultimately, the courts are left to find out whether they are authentic. It is the equivalent of a teacher collecting examination scripts but asking the students to mark them.
The constitution sets the qualifications required to contest for the office of president, but once INEC leaves verification to the public, scrutiny becomes a contest of resources rather than a public safeguard.
Political parties with deep pockets can then hire lawyers, investigators and forensic experts to challenge questionable credentials, while ordinary citizens and civic organisations often lack the resources to do the same, making accountability something money can buy rather than a safeguard available to every voter.
With campaigns scheduled to begin on 19 August, 2026, and the presidential election fixed for 16 January, 2027, the window for examining candidates’ nomination papers is already open.
Citizens should inspect the published Form EC9 documents at INEC offices during the statutory display period, submit documented objections through the legal process where necessary, and support civic organisations monitoring the qualifications of candidates across every level of the election.
INEC should clearly state the extent of the verification it performs before publishing candidates’ credentials and recommend amendments to the Electoral Act that introduce an independent credential-authentication process before nomination papers are accepted in future elections.
