Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has fired a direct challenge at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) publish the academic credentials of every candidate seeking elective office, or risk eroding public trust in Nigeria’s democracy.
In a statement Tuesday, Obi zeroed in on a revealing section of INEC’s nomination forms, which asks candidates whether they have ever presented a forged certificate. His response? If the question must be asked, the answer should be public.
“Why shouldn’t INEC, in the interest of ensuring that our leaders are exemplary in following the rules and to strengthen public confidence, publish the academic certificates and credentials submitted by every candidate?” Obi queried, insisting that transparency would reinforce the integrity of those vying for power.
But the former Anambra governor didn’t stop at credentials. He turned the spotlight on a more uncomfortable question one that asks candidates if they have ever been adjudged of unsound mind. With Nigeria reeling from kidnapping, hunger, and economic collapse, Obi asked pointedly: “Can we, as political leaders of today’s Nigeria, truly say we are exhibiting the characteristics of a sound mind?”
He slammed the political class for prioritizing campaigns while citizens are abducted from highways, children go to bed hungry, and billions vanish through phantom agencies. “Should politics really be our primary preoccupation?” he demanded.
Obi called for a national emergency declaration on security and the economy, urging leaders to mobilize all institutions, security agencies, experts, and communities with urgency. “This is a time for decisive action, not political calculation or partisan advantage,” he stressed.
His bottom line? Nigeria’s survival hinges on competence, character, and service not politics as usual. The era of empty credentials and empty promises, he warned, must end now.
