Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has reignited the debate over President Bola Tinubu's academic credentials, suggesting that the President can still return to school to obtain basic educational qualifications if necessary.
Sowore made the remarks on Monday while speaking to journalists outside the Federal High Court in Abuja after proceedings in his ongoing trial over alleged cyberbullying involving President Tinubu.
His comments followed renewed public scrutiny of the President's educational records after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) published nomination documents submitted by candidates for the 2027 general election.
According to Sowore, age should not be a barrier to education, noting that there are several opportunities for adults to pursue academic qualifications through conventional and distance learning programmes.
"If I decide to earn a PhD, I can do so just as former President Olusegun Obasanjo did through the National Open University of Nigeria. It is not too late for anyone to return to school," he said.
He added that President Tinubu could still enrol in adult education or online programmes to obtain primary and secondary school certificates if required.
Sowore also cited examples of public office holders who returned to education later in life, including a minister who reportedly completed the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme after assuming office, as well as Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, who pursued additional academic qualifications.
"There are opportunities for adult education. If necessary, he can still register for primary and secondary education. I don't see any problem with that," he stated.
Also weighing in on the controversy, the National Publicity Secretary of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Osa Director, questioned why the sections relating to the President's primary and secondary education were left blank in the documents published by INEC.
He argued that the omission deserved an official explanation from the President and his aides.
"We are simply asking why those qualifications are not reflected in the documents. Ordinarily, no one graduates from a university without first completing primary and secondary education. The public deserves clarification on why those sections were left unfilled," he said.
Director further expressed surprise that the nomination documents were accepted despite what he described as incomplete information, saying online submission systems typically require all mandatory fields to be completed before applications are accepted.
The controversy resurfaced after INEC released the academic credentials and nomination documents of candidates contesting the 2027 elections, prompting renewed political debate over President Tinubu's educational history.
Questions surrounding Tinubu's academic records have featured in Nigeria's political discourse for several years. In his governorship nomination documents submitted in 1999 and 2003, he listed St. Paul's Children's Home School and Government College, Ibadan, as his primary and secondary schools.
However, in later affidavits filed during subsequent elections, Tinubu stated that his original academic certificates were among documents lost following the confiscation of his property during his self-exile between 1994 and 1998 under the military regime.
In the nomination documents recently published by INEC, the President listed only his Bachelor of Science degree from Chicago State University, while the sections for primary and secondary education were left blank, a development that has continued to attract criticism from some opposition figures and civil society groups.
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