Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make the academic certificates and credentials submitted by all candidates seeking elective office publicly available.
Obi made the call in a statement posted on his official X account on Tuesday, June 30, shortly after completing his INEC nomination form for the 2027 presidential election.
According to him, greater transparency in the electoral process would strengthen public confidence and improve the credibility of Nigeria’s democracy.
Reflecting on questions contained in the nomination form, Obi said one section, which asks whether a candidate has ever presented a forged certificate to INEC, prompted him to consider the need for greater openness.
“Further in the same Section E, Question 6, was: ‘Have you ever presented a forged certificate to INEC?’ Again, the answer is either Yes or No,” he wrote.
“This raises another important question: Why shouldn’t INEC, in the interest of ensuring that our leaders are exemplary in following the rules and to strengthen public confidence in our electoral process, publish the academic certificates and credentials submitted by every candidate seeking elective office?”
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Obi argued that public access to candidates’ qualifications would reinforce accountability and deepen trust in the electoral system.
“Transparency strengthens democracy and builds public trust,” he stated.
The former Anambra State governor also questioned whether Nigeria’s political leadership was giving sufficient attention to the country’s pressing security and economic challenges.
He said widespread kidnappings, food insecurity, unsafe highways and the alleged diversion of public funds should take priority over political manoeuvring.
“A sound-minded leadership would have declared these existential challenges a national emergency and immediately mobilised all relevant institutions, security agencies, experts, community leaders, and other critical stakeholders to confront them with urgency and resolve,” Obi said.
He maintained that the country’s problems require leaders defined by “competence, character, capacity, compassion, and commitment to service.”
“A New Nigeria is POssible,” he added.