The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has commenced the nationwide public display of the personal particulars, academic credentials and supporting documents submitted by presidential candidates for the 2027 general elections, in compliance with Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The exercise, which began on Saturday at INEC’s national, state and Local Government Area offices, includes the nomination documents of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, who are seeking re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
Under the Electoral Act, the Commission is required to publish the particulars of candidates within 21 days of receiving their nomination forms, allowing members of the public to scrutinize the information before the election.
Documents displayed by INEC are contained in Form EC9, the statutory form used by candidates to submit their personal particulars, educational qualifications, work history, affidavits and other supporting documents. The Commission said the publication is intended to promote transparency and give citizens, political parties and other stakeholders the opportunity to inspect candidates’ credentials.
Copies of President Tinubu’s Form EC9 show that he listed a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University, United States, with the accompanying transcript stating that the degree was awarded “with honours” on June 22, 1979.
The President also submitted his National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, discharge certificate, indicating that he served in Oyo State from December 1982 until November 1983.
Tinubu’s employment history, as contained in the form, lists Mobil Nigeria Limited, where he worked from 1983 to 1992 before leaving for “advancement”; the Lagos State Government, where he served as Governor from 1999 to 2007, with his exit recorded as the legal end of his tenure; and the Federal Government of Nigeria, where he has served as President since 2023.
The personal information section of the President’s form lists his date of birth as March 29, 1952, his place of birth as Lagos, his occupation as politician, and his residential address as No. 4 Queen’s Drive, Ikoyi, Lagos.
One of the details attracting public attention is the section covering Tinubu’s primary and secondary education. The years entered for both levels of schooling appear as “0000”, while only his university qualification obtained in 1979 is listed under educational attainment. The documents displayed by INEC do not include primary or secondary school certificates.
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Vice President Kashim Shettima’s documents, however, contain a comprehensive educational history beginning from primary school. His Certificate of Primary Education, issued by the then Ministry of Education of the North-Eastern State, shows that he attended Lamisula I Primary School between 1972 and 1978, where he reportedly graduated second out of 22 pupils. His record also identifies English, History and Religious Knowledge as his strongest subjects.
His West African Examinations Council certificate, obtained at Government Secondary School, Potiskum, in June 1983, shows that he earned six credits and passes, including distinctions in Religious Knowledge and Economics.
The documents further show that Shettima obtained a Second-Class Upper Division bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Maiduguri in August 1989, before proceeding to the University of Ibadan, where he earned a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics.
His NYSC discharge certificate indicates that he completed the mandatory national service between October 1989 and October 1990.
INEC explained that Form EC9 contains the personal particulars, educational qualifications, affidavits and other statutory documents submitted by candidates sponsored by political parties. The Commission noted that the public display is a legal requirement designed to ensure openness in the nomination process and provide an opportunity for Nigerians to verify the information supplied by candidates.
The Commission also reminded the public that the Electoral Act, 2026, empowers any individual to apply for Certified True Copies, CTCs, of nomination forms and other documents submitted by candidates. Persons who believe any information or affidavit submitted by a candidate is false may challenge such declarations before the appropriate court in accordance with the provisions of the law.
INEC has displayed the nomination documents at its headquarters, state offices and Local Government Area offices across the country, including its Lagos State office in Sabo-Yaba, to enable public inspection throughout the period prescribed by law.
The publication of the documents comes as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections. According to INEC’s revised election timetable, campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled to commence on August 19, while campaigns for governorship and state House of Assembly elections will begin on later dates specified by the Commission.
The display of candidates’ credentials is one of the final transparency measures before full-scale electioneering begins, with INEC maintaining that the process is mandatory for every presidential, governorship, National Assembly and state assembly candidate participating in the 2027 general elections.
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