By Idriss LAWAL
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi has challenged the National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish submitted certificates and credentials of all candidates running for the 2027 general election.
He said: “Why shouldn’t INEC, in the interest of ensuring that our leaders are exemplary in following the rules and for public confidence in our process, publish the academic certificates and credentials submitted by every candidate seeking elective office? Transparency strengthens democracy and builds public trust.”
Obi maintained that the country’s problems were too grave for “politics as usual” and called for leadership driven by competence, character, capacity, compassion and commitment to public service.
“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. A new Nigeria is possible,” he added.
Meanwhile, the NDC has gone ahead to upload the details of its presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, and National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal.
This action was taken to consolidate the earlier position that the Court cannot stop them from participating in the 2027 general election.
Announcing that it had already uploaded the details of its presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, and National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, to the INEC portal, the development came barely hours after the party filed an appeal and an application for a stay of execution against the judgment of the Federal High Court in Lokoja, which reversed the registration of the NDC.
In a post on his X handle, Dickson declared that despite the legal setback, the party remained a duly registered political platform and had already commenced the process of submitting the names of its candidates to the electoral body.
According to him, the appeal and stay of execution had been served on the INEC Chairman and other relevant officials.
He said: “Today, the NDC has filed an appeal against the ruling as well as a stay of execution/injunction, which has been served with a covering letter to the INEC chairman and his team to do what is right according to law and what is legally sensible.
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“The Nigeria Democratic Congress has come to stay and remains a duly registered party in Nigeria which has participated in all the political processes so far.”
Dickson insisted that, in the eyes of the law, candidates of the party had already emerged through primaries that were “observed, monitored and recorded by INEC.”
He added: “What is left is the administrative process of submitting the names to INEC, and we have been granted access to the portal to upload our qualified candidates.
“My name and that of the Presidential Candidate have been uploaded to the INEC portal, while that of the Vice Presidential Candidate will be done tomorrow (today) upon completion of the deposition. The process is also ongoing for other candidates.”
