2027: Group Reopens Chicago Varsity Certificate Saga

Ahead of the 2027 presidential election, a civil society group, the Centre for Reform and Public Advocacy (CFRPA), has reopened the issue of the authenticity of the Chicago State University certificate used by President Bola Tinubu to secure clearance for the 2023 general election.

The group, which champions good governance in Nigeria, has formally written to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, demanding clarification on the status of the degree certificate claimed to have been obtained and presented by President Tinubu.

In a letter addressed to the Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), the group requested expedited clarification from the electoral body to ensure that sanity prevails in the polity, particularly ahead of the 2027 election.

Specifically, the group predicated its request on the need for INEC to prevent contestants of doubtful backgrounds from participating in the 2027 presidential election and from gaining access to leadership positions at all levels of government.

The letter, dated June 19, 2026, and signed by the group’s Head of Legal Unit, Barrister Kalu Agu, was received at the INEC headquarters in Abuja on the same date.

Among other allegations, the group claimed that while President Tinubu stated that he attended Government College Lagos in 1960 and graduated in May 1970, the institution was established in 1974.

The group charged the INEC Chairman, as a Professor of Law and a respected Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), to use his experience and knowledge to resolve what it described as the lingering issue surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s eligibility to contest the 2027 presidential election.

According to the group, the need for INEC to provide clarification has become imperative in view of the legal implications of forged certificates under Section 137(1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), as well as Section 285(14) of the Constitution, which envisages the power of the Commission to disqualify candidates who are ineligible.

The group warned that unless the electoral body clarifies Tinubu’s eligibility or otherwise for the 2027 general election, it would be left with no option but to institute legal action to compel the commission to do so in the public interest.