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The long-running controversy over President Bola Tinubu’s academic records has resurfaced ahead of the 2027 general election, with a civil society group petitioning the Independent National Electoral Commission to reopen scrutiny of the qualifications he used to secure clearance for the 2023 presidential contest.
The petition, dated June 19, 2026, was filed by the Center for Reform and Public Advocacy through a consortium of lawyers led by Mr. Kalu Agu, according to a report by Vanguard. It seeks the Commission’s clarification on the authenticity of the Chicago State University certificate Tinubu included in his INEC Form EC9 and questions a National Youth Service Corps Discharge Certificate the group describes as forged.
Among its claims, the group alleged that “while President Tinubu claimed to have attended Government College Lagos in 1960 and graduated in May 1970, Government College Lagos was established in 1974.” It urged the INEC chairman, “as a Professor of Law and a well-respected Senior Advocate of Nigeria,” to resolve what it called the “lingering issue” surrounding the President’s eligibility.
The petitioners anchored their request on Section 137(1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which disqualifies any candidate who presents a forged certificate to INEC, alongside Section 285(14). They warned that they would “initiate legal action to stop INEC from receiving and/or accepting the name of President Bola A. Tinubu as the presidential candidate of the APC” should the Commission decline to make its position public.
The fresh petition revives a dispute that dominated the aftermath of the 2023 election. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who finished second on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, had obtained Tinubu’s academic records from Chicago State University through a United States court.
The records were tied to a certified deposition. The deposition was made by Caleb Westberg on behalf of Chicago State University on October 3, 2023, which Atiku said disclaimed the certificate Tinubu presented to INEC. The university, in its filings, had consistently confirmed that Tinubu attended the institution and graduated in 1979.
The matter ultimately reached the Supreme Court but was never resolved on its substance. A seven-member panel led by Justice John Okoro dismissed Atiku’s motion to file fresh evidence, holding that none of the seven issues he raised covered forgery and that the court had no jurisdiction to admit evidence not pleaded at the Presidential Election Petition Court.
The apex court noted that the 180 days allowed by the Constitution had elapsed since September 17, 2023.
That procedural finding left the authenticity question undecided. The judgment did not examine the veracity of the document, meaning Tinubu could face a renewed challenge over the certificate should he seek re-election in 2027. The President has consistently denied any forgery, and Chicago State University has repeatedly affirmed his graduation.
INEC had not, as of the time of the report, made any public response to the petition. The Commission retains constitutional powers under the Electoral Act to regulate party primaries and candidate nominations, but the question of disqualifying a sitting president on eligibility grounds remains legally untested in Nigeria.