By Nigeria’s electoral umpire has opened a nationwide window for the public to inspect the credentials and biodata submitted by presidential candidates contesting next year’s general election as part of the pre-election verification process required by law.
The exercise, which began on Saturday, covers documents filed by President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress and his running mate, Vice President Kashim Shettima, ahead of the 2027 polls.
According to Tinubu’s Form EC9, the president’s academic record shows a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University in the United States, awarded, according to his transcript, with honours on June 22, 1979. The form also contains his National Youth Service Corps discharge papers, showing that he served in Oyo State beginning December 1982 and was demobilized in November 1983.
His employment history as captured in the document lists three employers across his career. He worked with Mobil Nigeria Limited from 1983 to 1992, departing on account of advancement, before serving the Lagos State Government from 1999 to 2007, when his tenure as governor formally ended. He has since served with the Federal Government of Nigeria from 2023 to date in his capacity as President.
Notably, the years recorded against his primary and secondary school attendance were entered as “0000” in the form, with only his university qualification, obtained in 1979, formally indicated. The document further lists his date of birth as March 29, 1952, placing his age at 74, his birthplace as Lagos, and his residential address as No. 4, Queen’s Drive, Ikoyi. His occupation is recorded as “politician.”
For Vice President Shettima, the displayed documents trace his educational journey from the primary level. His Certificate of Primary Education, issued by the Ministry of Education of the former North-Eastern State, shows that he attended Lamisula I Primary School between 1972 and 1978, finishing 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, reflects six credits and passes, including a distinction in Religious Knowledge and Economics. He proceeded to the University of Maiduguri, where he earned a Second Class Upper Division degree in Agriculture in August 1989, before going on to obtain a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics from the University of Ibadan. His NYSC discharge certificate shows he served from October 1989 to October 1990.
The public display, contained in Form EC9, is a statutory requirement under Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which mandates INEC to publish candidates’ particulars within 21 days of receipt. In a statement, the commission explained that “Form EC9 contains the credentials, personal particulars, and affidavits submitted by candidates sponsored by political parties.”
The documents have been made available at INEC offices nationwide, including its Lagos State office in Sabo-Yaba, as well as Local Government Area offices within affected constituencies. Under the Electoral Act, members of the public may apply to INEC for certified true copies of nomination forms and other documents submitted by candidates and may seek legal redress over allegations of false declaration or forgery.
Campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled to begin on August 19, while campaigns for governorship and state assembly elections will follow later, in accordance with the commission’s revised election timetable.
