Former South-East spokesman to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Denge Josef Onoh, has defended the President's nomination documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), dismissing criticisms over the omission of primary and secondary school qualifications from the education section of the Form EC9.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja, Onoh described the controversy as the product of political mischief and a misunderstanding of Nigeria's constitutional provisions governing presidential eligibility.
According to him, President Tinubu acted fully within the law by presenting his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University together with his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate.
Onoh argued that Section 131(d) of the 1999 Constitution only requires a presidential candidate to possess an educational qualification equivalent to at least a School Certificate.
He maintained that a university degree is a qualification that exceeds the constitutional minimum and therefore sufficiently establishes eligibility to contest for the office of President.
According to Onoh, once a candidate submits a higher academic qualification, there is no legal requirement to also provide evidence of lower academic credentials obtained earlier in life.
He further argued that previous decisions of the Supreme Court of Nigeria have consistently held that aspirants are not obligated to submit an uninterrupted chain of academic certificates from primary school through university.
Onoh said the courts have repeatedly recognised that a valid higher qualification is sufficient proof that the constitutional educational threshold has been met.
He explained that candidates are therefore not legally required to account for every primary or secondary school attended once a recognised higher qualification has been presented.
Addressing the blank spaces in Tinubu's INEC form, Onoh insisted that leaving the sections for primary and secondary education uncompleted does not amount to a constitutional or electoral violation.
He stated that what the law prohibits is the submission of false information or forged documents rather than the omission of lower educational qualifications where a valid higher qualification has already been provided.
Onoh argued that the President's decision to attach only his university degree and NYSC certificate reflected transparency and compliance with the Electoral Act.
He urged opposition parties and political critics to familiarise themselves with the Constitution and electoral laws instead of, in his words, promoting unnecessary public controversy.
According to him, political debates should be guided by legal facts rather than emotional arguments or partisan narratives.
Onoh also referenced previous scrutiny of Tinubu's academic credentials, noting that the President's educational records have been examined publicly on several occasions.
He said the records had received international attention, including verification processes involving Chicago State University, adding that the university qualification had remained intact throughout those reviews.
The former presidential spokesman maintained that attempts to revive the certificate controversy were unlikely to alter the legal position surrounding the President's nomination documents.
He insisted that the President's nomination papers remain constitutionally valid and capable of withstanding legal scrutiny if challenged before any competent court.
The comments come amid renewed public discussions following the publication of presidential candidates' nomination documents by INEC ahead of the 2027 general election.
Onoh concluded by urging Nigerians to focus on governance and substantive national issues rather than what he described as politically motivated distractions over constitutionally compliant nomination documents.