Kenneth Okonkwo, Atiku’s spokesperson and ADC chieftain has argued that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should disqualify President Bola Tinubu from running for the in 2027 general election.
Okonkwo claims that this is largely because Tinubu omitted his primary and secondary school certificates from his submitted credentials. He also aded that the omission raises concerns regarding compliance with legal requirements for seeking Nigeria’s highest office.
He urged the President to observe the country’s educational qualification regulations, emphasizing that authorities must hold all aspirants, regardless of position, to the same standards.
His statements came after INEC published 2027 Candidates’ Credentials and other personal details of the contenders ahead of 2027 general election.
According to the electoral body’s documents, Tinubu submitted his university diploma, but officials omitted his primary and secondary school certificates from the public credentials.
This omission has sparked widespread anxiety among Nigerians, raising new doubts about his educational qualifications.
However, in an X tweet shared on Tuesday, Okonkwo said : “Nigeria has its laws that should be respected. No Nigerian is qualified to go to a University without 5 credits at the O’ Level.
“Tinubu purporting to be qualified for President by providing a foreign University certificate, which the University publicly declared did not emanate from it, without providing his secondary school certificate or its equipment disqualifies him from being President.
“The only reason our democracy is in peril is because of judicial rascality.
“Despite all warnings by the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the National Judicial Council (NJC), some judges have operated as an island on their own, interpreting the laws they made on the bench, bereft of the imprimatur of the legislature.
“The judges have usurped the powers of the executive and the legislature from the bench with the instrumentality of perverse judgement.”
APC defends Tinubu’s missing credentials
APC member Alwan Hassan defended the President, citing the Nigerian Constitution as the benchmark for determining the qualifications required of anyone seeking electoral office.
According to Hassan, the Constitution does not mandate a university degree or a specific set of school credentials beyond a basic level.
He argued that the law only requires a “school certificate or its equivalent,” which essentially means the basic ability to read and write in English.
Following Hassan’s comments, ADC chieftain Kalu Kalu firmly dismissed the defence and directly challenged Tinubu to publicly provide the primary and secondary schools he attended, suggesting that Nigerians deserve clarity on the matter before the 2027 general elections.
The both party representatives traded words in a heated argument during an appearance on a Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.
Backstory…
Recall that on August 1, The Independent National Electoral Commission began publishing the personal information and 2027 Candidates’ Credentials
According to reports, the commission launched the initiative so Nigerians can examine the documents and challenge any candidate’s qualification if they find proof of false information or forged credentials.
However missing in Tinubu’s released credentials were his primary and secondary school certificates. This has since stirred controversy across the political landscape.
Read Also: INEC Publishes 2027 Presidential Candidates’ Credentials
