•President omits pry, sec schools’ qualifications
By Omeiza Ajayi
The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has commenced the statutory public display of academic credentials and personal particulars submitted by President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, the All Progressives Congress APC presidential and vice-presidential candidates for the 2027 general election.
The commission said the exercise, which began on Saturday, is in line with Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which requires it to publish candidates’ particulars within 21 days of receipt.
“Form EC9 contains the credentials, personal particulars and affidavits submitted by candidates sponsored by political parties,” INEC stated.
Documents made available at INEC offices nationwide detailed Tinubu’s academic and professional history. His Form EC9 showed that he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University in the United States, awarded with honours on June 22, 1979.
The form further captured his National Youth Service Corps records, showing he served in Oyo State from December 1982 and was demobilised in November 1983. On his employment history, the document listed three employers: Mobil Nigeria Limited, where he worked between 1983 and 1992 before leaving on account of advancement; the Lagos State Government, where he served from 1999 to 2007 until the legal end of his tenure as governor; and the Federal Government of Nigeria, where he has served since 2023.
Entries for his primary and secondary school attendance were recorded as “0000,” with only his university qualification bearing a specific year. His personal information listed his date of birth as March 29, 1952, putting his age at 74, his birthplace as Lagos, his residential address as No. 4, Queen’s Drive, Ikoyi, and his occupation as politician.
Shettima’s documents, by contrast, traced his education from the primary level. His Certificate of Primary Education, issued by the Ministry of Education of the defunct North-Eastern State, showed he attended Lamisula I Primary School between 1972 and 1978, placing second out of 22 pupils in his final year, with English, History and Religious Knowledge listed among his strongest subjects.
His West African Examinations Council result, obtained at Government Secondary School, Potiskum, in June 1983, showed six credits and passes, including distinctions in Religious Knowledge and Economics. He proceeded to the University of Maiduguri, graduating with a Second Class Upper Division degree in Agriculture in August 1989, before earning a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics from the University of Ibadan. His NYSC discharge records showed he served between October 1989 and October 1990.
INEC noted that members of the public are entitled to apply for certified true copies of the nomination forms and other documents submitted by candidates, and may seek legal redress where allegations of false declaration or forgery arise.
The commission’s revised timetable indicates that campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections will begin on August 19, with governorship and state assembly campaigns to follow later.
“Form EC9 contains the credentials, personal particulars and affidavits submitted by candidates sponsored by political parties,” the commission reiterated.
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