The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published the personal particulars of candidates contesting the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections.
The particulars were displayed at INEC offices located at the headquarters of local government areas across the country.
The commission also published the personal particulars of vice-presidential candidates.
The documents contain candidates’ full names, gender, residential addresses, educational qualifications and work experience.
INEC had earlier stated that Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act 2026 requires the commission to publish candidates’ particulars within 21 days of receiving them.
The three major presidential candidates are President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), and Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
However, in the personal particulars published by INEC, Tinubu did not provide details of his primary and secondary education. He listed only his university qualification, indicating that he obtained a BSc degree in 1979.
His certificate from Chicago State University (CSU) was also included among the documents. Tinubu’s CSU certificate was the subject of intense public controversy in the lead-up to the 2023 presidential election.
There were allegations during the 2023 presidential election that the Bola Tinubu who attended CSU was not the current President of Nigeria.
Similarly, in the lead-up to the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu did not provide details of his primary and secondary education in the personal particulars he submitted to INEC.
Unlike Tinubu, Obi listed all his academic qualifications, including certificates from his primary and secondary schools as well as his university degree.
The former Anambra State governor indicated that he completed his primary education at Augustine’s Primary School, Anambra, in 1973, and his secondary education at Christ the King College in 1978.
Obi listed the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), as his alma mater, indicating that he graduated in 1984.
According to the particulars published by INEC, Atiku obtained his First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) in 1954, his West African School Certificate in 1961, and a Master of Arts degree in International Relations in 2020.
The Historica Nigeria.