By Jelili Gbadamosi
Solomon Dalung, a former Minister of Sports, has urged President Bola Tinubu to clarify why the sections for his primary and secondary school qualifications were left blank in the personal particulars submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2027 presidential election.
Dalung made the call in a post on his X account on Saturday after reviewing the nomination documents published by INEC, stressing that his remarks were based solely on the contents of the official documents and should not be interpreted as an allegation against the President.
According to him, while Tinubu listed a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration obtained from Chicago State University in 1979, the spaces provided for his primary and secondary school qualifications were left uncompleted.
The former minister argued that the omission deserves clarification in the interest of accountability and transparency, noting that public confidence in elected officials is strengthened by full disclosure.
“If there is a perfectly reasonable explanation, Nigerians deserve to hear it. Public office, especially the presidency, is built on public trust. Trust flourishes where there is openness, not ambiguity,” Dalung wrote.
He maintained that the issue was not whether the President attended any particular schools, but whether public office holders should fully disclose their educational records in official election documents.
Dalung further insisted that the same standard of accountability expected of other presidential candidates should equally apply to the incumbent President.
“The easiest way to put every question to rest is transparency. Silence rarely ends speculation; openness usually does,” he added.
A review of President Tinubu’s EC9 nomination form published by INEC showed that he attached copies of his Chicago State University degree certificate and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate as supporting documents but left the sections for his primary and secondary school qualifications blank.
