Constitutional lawyer Monday Ubani says the omission of primary and secondary school certificates from Tinubu’s INEC documents does not invalidate his presidential nomination.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and constitutional lawyer, Dr Monday Ubani, has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was not constitutionally required to submit his primary and secondary school certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Ubani said the omission does not invalidate Tinubu’s nomination for the 2027 presidential election.
He made the clarification during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu.
What the Constitution Requires
The lawyer referred to Section 131 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, saying the provision requires a presidential candidate to have attained education up to school certificate level or its equivalent.
According to Ubani, the law does not specifically compel a presidential candidate to physically submit primary and secondary school certificates.
He argued that presenting a recognised university degree creates a presumption that the holder passed through the earlier levels of education unless credible evidence proves otherwise.
Ubani Distinguishes Law From Transparency
While defending the legal position, Ubani acknowledged that providing comprehensive educational records could be viewed as a matter of transparency.
He said public office holders should ordinarily provide evidence of their educational background, but maintained that such an expectation should not be confused with a constitutional requirement.
The lawyer also said INEC does not have a supervisory role under the Electoral Act to authenticate or qualify candidates based on their academic credentials before publishing them.
According to him, anyone who believes information submitted by a candidate is false has legal avenues available to challenge it.
The Bigger Debate
The controversy followed INEC’s publication of the particulars and credentials submitted by presidential candidates ahead of the 2027 election.
The publication reignited questions over the educational records of several political figures, including President Tinubu.
Ubani’s position, however, is that the absence of primary and secondary school certificates from the published documents does not by itself amount to a constitutional breach.