Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has mocked President Bola Tinubu over the academic credentials contained in records published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying “it is not too late for the President to return to school”.
Sowore said Tinubu could still enrol in adult education or online learning programmes to obtain primary and secondary school certificates.
He made the remarks on Monday outside the Federal High Court in Abuja after the continuation of his trial over allegations of cyberbullying President Tinubu.
Reacting to renewed public debate over Tinubu’s educational history following the publication of his nomination documents by INEC, Sowore said there was nothing stopping the President from pursuing further education.
“If I have to, I have my master’s. If I have to go for a PhD, I will do like Obasanjo. I will go to the National Open University of Nigeria, where they teach you from home.
“It’s not too late for the guy (Tinubu) to go back to school. Actually, one of his ministers went back and did their NYSC after he became a minister.
“He can still register in any of these online primary and secondary schools. He had the chance to have gone back to school between 2020 and now.
“Tinubu should have gone back to school. He can still register online for primary school and secondary school. So, I don’t see any problem. After all, Adeleke did it in Osun State.
“There’s an adult education opportunity for him, so that they would fill that primary school section for him,” Sowore was quoted as saying by SaharaReporters.
Also commenting on the issue, the National Publicity Secretary of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Osa Director, questioned why the President’s primary and secondary school qualifications were not listed in the documents published by INEC.
“It is so disappointing that this is what we are talking about. Again, I believe that we are just raising this question for academic purposes. We don’t know the answer to our question. That is, those certificates are not there. So, it is what it is,” he said.
He urged the President and his aides to explain the omission.
“Let them tell us why the President’s secondary school and primary school certificates are not there. We all know that you cannot graduate from university without attending basic school.
“They should be able to tell us what happened to them. Because when you fill out forms online and submit, it will reject your submission, saying you have not completed filling in all the necessary information.
“So, I am surprised that this form went through INEC, knowing it was not filled.”
The issue has resurfaced following the release of candidates’ credentials by INEC as political activities ahead of the 2027 general election intensify.
Tinubu’s educational history has remained a subject of public debate for years. In his 1999 and 2003 governorship filings, he listed specific primary and secondary schools, including St. Paul’s Children’s Home School and Government College, Ibadan.
However, in later affidavits submitted during subsequent election cycles, Tinubu stated that his academic certificates were unavailable because they were among documents allegedly lost during the confiscation of his property while he was in self-exile between 1994 and 1998 under the military regime.
His more recent nomination documents filed with INEC listed only his Bachelor of Science degree from Chicago State University, leaving the sections for primary and secondary education blank, a development that has continued to attract criticism from political opponents and civic groups.
