The Independent National Electoral Commission has received a fresh petition seeking to reopen investigations into the educational qualifications of President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The petition, dated June 19, was filed by a civil society group known as the Center for Reform and Public Advocacy through a consortium of lawyers led by Mr. Kalu Agu.
According to the group, the commission should give a clear legal clarification on the authenticity of the certificates submitted by the president in his INEC Form EC9 for the 2023 election.
In the document, the group stated, “We are a non-profit, pro-democracy, human rights, anti-corruption and public interest advocacy organization in Nigeria. In line with our objectives, we respectfully wish to bring to your notice the fake Chicago State University certificate and forged National Youth Service Corps Discharge Certificate presented to the Commission by President Bola A. Tinubu to aid his qualification for the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria.”
The petitioners noted that these documents were obtained during an American court discovery case in 2023, following which they discovered that the president allegedly made false entries regarding his attendance at Government College Lagos.
The group is demanding a full review of the legal implications of these findings before the next election cycle begins.
It noted, “It is on the basis of the foregoing that we respectfully write to you requesting a legal clarification of the effects of President Bola A. Tinubu’s certificate, obtained by fraud from Chicago State University, and his forged NYSC Discharge Certificate, on President Bola A. Tinubu’s 2027 presidential bid.”
They also disclosed that they have contacted other authorities.
“It is worthy of note that we have written to the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, requesting that the NYSC issue a disclaimer on the forged NYSC Discharge Certificate that President Bola A. Tinubu is parading as genuine.”
The petitioners challenged the leadership of the commission to address the situation neutrally under constitutional guidelines.
“As a Professor of Law and a well-respected Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, it is imperative that you use your wealth of experience and knowledge to resolve this lingering issue surrounding the ineligibility of President Bola A. Tinubu to contest the 2027 presidential election, considering the legal implications of the above-named forged certificates he submitted to INEC in 2023, in relation to Section 137(1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), as well as Section 285(14) of the said Constitution, which envisages the power of the Commission to disqualify candidates for election who are ineligible. This is a litmus test for you, to determine how neutral you will be in the conduct of future elections in Nigeria.”
Finally, the group warned that they would take the matter to court if the electoral body remained silent.
“TAKE NOTICE that, in the event you fail to make INEC’s legal position public on this request, we will initiate legal action to stop INEC from receiving and/or accepting the name of President Bola A. Tinubu as the presidential candidate of the APC, as he has no other academic certificate to present to INEC, since President Bola A. Tinubu does not have any primary or secondary school certificates. We are hopeful that you will heed our request and allow wise counsel to prevail in the circumstances.”
The petition also reminded the commission of its statutory role, noting that by virtue of the constitution, any candidate who presents a forged certificate to the commission is not qualified to contest for the office of President of Nigeria.