Isaac Samuel
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 general elections, Peter Obi, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make public the academic certificates and other credentials submitted by candidates seeking elective offices, saying the move would promote transparency and strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.
Obi made the call in a statement issued on Tuesday after completing his nomination form for the 2027 presidential election.
He said a section of the form prompted him to reflect on the quality of leadership in the country amid worsening insecurity, economic hardship and allegations of corruption.
According to him, Section E, Question 1 of the nomination form asks whether a candidate has ever been adjudged a lunatic or declared to be of unsound mind.
“While completing my INEC nomination form yesterday, Section E, Question 1 caught my attention. It asks: ‘Have you ever been adjudged a lunatic or been declared a person of unsound mind?’ The answer is either Yes or No.
“That question got me thinking: Can we, as the political leaders of today’s Nigeria, truly say we are exhibiting the characteristics of a sound mind?” he said.
The former governor of Anambra State argued that Nigeria’s leaders should be more concerned with tackling the country’s security and economic challenges than engaging in political contests.
“When Nigerians, including children and security personnel, are being abducted into the bushes, citizens cannot travel safely on our highways, several million Nigerians are uncertain where their next meal will come from, and several billions are being siphoned frivolously through non-existent agencies and projects, should politics really be our primary preoccupation?” he asked.
Obi maintained that a responsible leadership would have declared the country’s security and economic challenges a national emergency and mobilised all relevant institutions and stakeholders to address them.
“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,” he said.
He also drew attention to another question in the nomination form relating to forged certificates, arguing that it highlighted the need for greater openness in the electoral process.
“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.
“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?” he said.
According to Obi, making such documents publicly available would reinforce transparency and deepen trust in the electoral system.
“Transparency strengthens democracy and builds public trust. Nigeria’s problems are too serious for politics as usual.
“It is time for leadership defined by competence, character, capacity, compassion, and commitment to service,” he added.
