The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make public the academic certificates and credentials submitted by all candidates seeking elective office.

Obi made the call while reflecting on questions contained in the INEC nomination form, particularly those relating to candidates’ mental fitness and the authenticity of their academic qualifications.

He argued that publishing candidates’ credentials would improve transparency and strengthen public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.

Questioning why such documents should remain confidential, Obi said: “Have you ever presented a forged certificate to INEC? Again, the answer is either Yes or No. This raises another important question: Why shouldn’t INEC, in the interest of ensuring that our leaders are exemplary in following the rules and to strengthen public confidence in our electoral process, publish the academic certificates and credentials submitted by every candidate seeking elective office?”

He added: “Transparency strengthens democracy and builds public trust. Nigeria’s problems are too serious for politics as usual. It is time for leadership defined by competence, character, capacity, compassion, and commitment to service.”

Obi also referred to Section E, Question 1 of the nomination form, which asks whether a candidate has ever been declared to be of unsound mind, saying the question raises concerns about whether Nigeria’s political leaders are demonstrating sound judgement.

According to him, persistent insecurity, kidnappings, unsafe highways, widespread hunger and allegations of mismanagement of public funds suggest that leaders are losing focus on the country’s pressing challenges.

He maintained that responsible leadership would treat Nigeria’s security and economic crises as a national emergency, mobilising all relevant institutions and stakeholders to address them.

The former Anambra State governor said the country’s survival, security and stability should take priority over political calculations, insisting that Nigeria needs leaders defined by competence, character, capacity, compassion and commitment to public service.

Earlier, Seriake Dickson confirmed that Obi’s name had been uploaded to the INEC portal despite the recent court ruling that voided the registration process of the opposition party.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said 1,565,873 Nigerians have successfully registered in the ongoing Phase III Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise as of June 26.

According to figures released by the commission, 620,933 registrants completed online pre-registration, while 944,940 registered physically across the country.

The commission, however, said “that the statistics remained preliminary, pending a comprehensive data clean-up during the scheduled period for public claims and objections, which would be followed by the deployment of the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS)”.

State-by-state data showed Kano recorded the highest number of registrants with 118,207, followed by Lagos with 78,360 and Delta with 76,395.

The commission also disclosed that “voter registration was temporarily suspended in Ekiti and Osun states in line with provisions of the Electoral Act ahead of governorship elections”.

Women accounted for 821,276 registrants, representing 52.45 per cent of the total, while men made up 744,597 or 47.55 per cent.

Young people aged 18 to 34 dominated the exercise, accounting for 1,082,985 registrations, while students emerged as the largest occupational group with 384,093 registrants. INEC also recorded 18,919 registrations by Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

The commission urged eligible Nigerians yet to register to take advantage of the online portal and designated registration centres nationwide.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said 1,565,873 Nigerians have successfully registered in the ongoing Phase III Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise as of June 26.

According to figures released by the commission, 620,933 registrants completed online pre-registration, while 944,940 registered physically across the country.

The commission, however, said “that the statistics remained preliminary, pending a comprehensive data clean-up during the scheduled period for public claims and objections, which would be followed by the deployment of the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS)”.

State-by-state data showed Kano recorded the highest number of registrants with 118,207, followed by Lagos with 78,360 and Delta with 76,395.

The commission also disclosed that “voter registration was temporarily suspended in Ekiti and Osun states in line with provisions of the Electoral Act ahead of governorship elections”.

Women accounted for 821,276 registrants, representing 52.45 per cent of the total, while men made up 744,597 or 47.55 per cent.

Young people aged 18 to 34 dominated the exercise, accounting for 1,082,985 registrations, while students emerged as the largest occupational group with 384,093 registrants. INEC also recorded 18,919 registrations by Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

The commission urged eligible Nigerians yet to register to take advantage of the online portal and designated registration centres nationwide.