0
The publication of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s nomination papers by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has renewed public debate over his educational history, following the disclosure of personal particulars and credentials submitted as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 general election.
The documents, published by the electoral umpire on Saturday in accordance with the Electoral Act, show that Tinubu declared his date of birth as March 29, 1952, identified Lagos as his place of birth and listed his occupation as a politician. He also indicated that he is contesting the presidency on the platform of the APC.
Under the section titled “Schools Attended/Educational Qualifications with Date,” the President listed only a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree obtained in 1979 under higher education. The sections provided for primary and secondary education were left blank, while the corresponding year fields were entered as “0000.”
Also attached to the nomination papers is a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Certificate of National Service showing that Tinubu completed the mandatory national service between July 1982 and June 1983.
His declared work history lists employment with Mobil Nigeria Ltd from 1983 to 1992, service in the Lagos State Government from 1999 to 2007, and the Federal Government from 2023 to date.
The publication immediately generated reactions on social media, with supporters arguing that the Constitution prescribes only the minimum educational qualification required to contest the presidency, while critics renewed questions over the consistency of Tinubu’s educational records.
One X user, identified as @Oludamolala, wrote:
“No record of primary school. No record of secondary school. Graduated from Chicago State University. Worked as an accountant with Mobil. Has he broken any rule? Capital NO. A mystery. Bola Tinubu is a textbook that needs to be studied.”
Another user, @exceleg, questioned previous declarations, stating:
“What about the discrepancies in the schools he listed in previous filings? Which record is correct? If incorrect information was submitted before, was that a rules violation? History matters because past behavior can provide context for evaluating present actions.”
Tinubu’s educational records have remained a recurring subject of political and legal scrutiny, particularly during the 2023 presidential election, when litigation in the United States over records from Chicago State University and debates surrounding aspects of his academic history attracted widespread public attention.
The publication of the 2027 nomination papers has again drawn attention to the omission of primary and secondary school details from the documents displayed by INEC.
However, the documents themselves do not, on their face, affect Tinubu’s constitutional eligibility to contest the presidential election.
Section 131 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), provides that a person is qualified for election as President if he or she is a Nigerian citizen by birth, has attained the age of 35 years, is a member of a political party and sponsored by that party, and has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.
Nothing in Section 131 expressly requires a presidential candidate to list primary or secondary schools on the nomination form, provided the constitutional educational threshold is met.
In addition, Section 29 of the Electoral Act, 2022, provides that any person who believes a candidate has submitted false information or documents to INEC may challenge the nomination in court within the period prescribed by law.
Accordingly, while the publication of the nomination papers has renewed public debate over Tinubu’s educational history, any allegation concerning the authenticity or consistency of the information supplied remains a matter for judicial determination under the Electoral Act.
As of the time of filing this report, neither INEC nor the Presidency had issued any statement beyond the publication of the nomination papers.
