A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has argued that President Bola Tinubu should not be eligible to hold office, claiming that the absence of his primary and secondary school certificates in documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) raises constitutional and legal concerns.
Okonkwo made the remarks on Monday, August 3, in a post on his verified X account, following the publication by INEC of the credentials and personal details of presidential candidates for the 2027 general election.
According to the documents made public by the electoral commission, President Tinubu submitted his university certificate, but no primary or secondary school certificates were included among the credentials displayed.
The development has generated fresh public debate over the President’s educational qualifications, with critics questioning the omission while supporters insist he remains qualified under the law.
Reacting, Okonkwo maintained that Nigeria’s educational requirements should not be overlooked.
READ ALSO: 2027: Tinubu’s INEC Documents Stir Fresh Qualification Controversy
“Nigeria has its laws that should be respected. No Nigerian is qualified to go to a University without 5 credits at the O’ Level,” he wrote.
He further alleged that Tinubu’s academic records did not meet the legal standard required to qualify for the presidency.
“Tinubu purporting to be qualified for President by providing a foreign University certificate, which the University publicly declared did not emanate from it, without providing his secondary school certificate or its equipment disqualifies him from being President.”
Okonkwo also used the opportunity to criticise the judiciary, blaming what he described as inconsistent court decisions for Nigeria’s political challenges.
“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 (NJC), some judges have operated as an island on their own, interpreting the laws they made on the bench, bereft of the imprimatur of the legislature.”
“The judges have usurped the powers of the executive and the legislature from the bench with the instrumentality of perverse judgement.”
The Presidency has not responded to Okonkwo’s latest comments. President Tinubu has, however, previously defended his academic credentials in earlier legal and political disputes, maintaining that he satisfies all constitutional requirements to contest elections in Nigeria.