A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has alleged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's failure to submit his primary and secondary school certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) disqualifies him from contesting for the office of the President of Nigeria.
Okonkwo made the assertion following the publication of the personal particulars and credentials of the 19 presidential candidates for the 2027 general election by INEC. According to the documents made public, President Tinubu submitted only his Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree certificate, while the sections for his primary and secondary school qualifications in Form EC9 were left blank.
Reacting to the development in a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Okonkwo argued that Nigerian law requires every university student to possess at least five O'Level credit passes before gaining admission into a higher institution.
He maintained that presenting only a foreign university certificate, without accompanying primary and secondary school qualifications, raises serious constitutional and legal concerns.
According to him, "Nigeria has its laws that should be respected. No Nigerian is qualified to go to a University without five credits at the O' Level."
Okonkwo further alleged that the university certificate presented by Tinubu had previously been questioned, insisting that the absence of his secondary school credentials renders him ineligible to occupy the nation's highest office.
He also blamed what he described as "judicial rascality" for the country's democratic challenges, accusing some judges of delivering judgments that contradict established laws.
"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, some judges have operated as an island on their own, interpreting laws they made on the bench instead of applying those enacted by the legislature," he stated.
Okonkwo added that some judicial officers have overstepped their constitutional roles by assuming the powers of both the executive and legislative arms of government through what he described as "perverse judgments."
His comments have added to the growing public debate surrounding the educational credentials submitted by presidential candidates ahead of the 2027 general election. The matter may ultimately be determined through the appropriate legal and constitutional processes if any formal challenge is filed.