INEC Under Pressure to Clarify President Tinubu’s Eligibility Over Alleged Non-Compliance With Section 131 of the 1999 Constitution
The publication of personal particulars and credentials of 19 presidential candidates for the 2027 general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday, August 1, 2026, has once again brought President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s educational qualifications into public focus.
In compliance with Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act 2026, INEC displayed Form EC9 and accompanying credentials submitted by each presidential candidate to enable public scrutiny ahead of the official commencement of campaigns on August 19, 2026.
The exercise, as provided by the Constitution and the Electoral Act, is intended to ensure transparency, accountability, and public participation in the electoral process.
A review of the documents published by INEC shows that President Tinubu declared that he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University (CSU) in 1979. He also stated that he participated in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) between December 1982 and November 1983.
However, records relating to his primary and secondary school education were noticeably absent from the published documents.
This omission has reignited a constitutional debate that has persisted for years: Does the submission of a university degree, without any record of primary or secondary school education, sufficiently satisfy the educational qualification prescribed by the 1999 Constitution?
Section 131 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), provides that a person shall be qualified for election to the office of President if:
(a) He is a citizen of Nigeria by birth;
(b) He has attained the age of 40 years;
(c) He is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party; and
(d) He has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.
The Constitution is deliberate in its wording. It does not expressly require a university degree or an NYSC certificate, which President Tinubu has presented. Rather, it specifically stipulates “School Certificate level or its equivalent” as the minimum threshold — a requirement which critics argue the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has failed to document for the forthcoming election.
By comparison, the submission of former Vice President and 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, reportedly contains educational records reflecting his full academic progression, including primary and secondary school qualifications preceding his higher education.
President Tinubu’s submission, on the other hand, contains his university degree and NYSC details, but no publicly available record of the School Certificate or its equivalent expressly mentioned in Section 131 of the Constitution, the supreme law of the country.
The issue, therefore, is not whether President Tinubu possesses a bachelor’s degree, nor is it a debate about his academic attainment. The constitutional question is whether the documents presented to the Nigerian public demonstrate compliance with the specific qualification stipulated by the Constitution.
Supporters of the President argue that a recognized bachelor’s degree necessarily presupposes attainment of at least School Certificate level, making the production of earlier certificates unnecessary. However, many Nigerians contend that where the Constitution expressly refers to a particular qualification, documentary evidence of that qualification or its recognized equivalent should be submitted to INEC, especially in a process designed to promote transparency and public confidence.
INEC’s publication of candidates’ credentials is not a ceremonial exercise. It is intended to enable Nigerians to scrutinize the qualifications of those seeking the nation’s highest office. Where questions arise from the published documents, they deserve clear and credible answers, or necessary actions in accordance with the law, including disqualification where applicable.
For this reason, Nigerians have called on INEC to clarify whether additional educational documents were submitted by the President but were not included among the published credentials. If such documents exist, they should be made available for public scrutiny immediately in the interest of transparency. If no such documents were submitted, calls have been made for President Tinubu to be disqualified in compliance with Section 131 of the 1999 Constitution.
The credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process depends not only on the conduct of elections, but also on the openness and completeness of the information placed before the electorate.
