The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained why the primary and secondary schools attended by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu were not included in the credentials it recently published ahead of the 2027 general election.

Speaking to The PUNCH, a senior INEC official said the commission only published documents submitted by presidential candidates and had no authority to question, verify, or alter the credentials presented.

The official explained that the publication was intended to give Nigerians the opportunity to scrutinise the documents and raise objections where necessary.

“We only published what was submitted to the commission. We don’t have any authority to question those ones. I mean, our own is just to publish so that anybody who has an objection can raise issues with what we’ve published,” the source said.

The official added that INEC was not constitutionally empowered to question candidates about the authenticity of their credentials or why certain documents were not submitted.

The development comes amid renewed scrutiny of Tinubu’s academic credentials. Legal counsel and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Kalu Agu, recently petitioned the European Commission in Brussels, alleging that Tinubu presented false academic credentials to INEC.

Agu also alleged that the President failed to disclose the primary and secondary schools he attended in documents submitted to the electoral commission.

Meanwhile, ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking Tinubu’s disqualification from the 2027 presidential election over an alleged forged NYSC certificate.

Atiku personally appeared at the court registry to depose to an affidavit supporting the suit filed against Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and INEC.