The appointment of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) offers Nigeria a golden opportunity to rebuild trust in an electoral system bruised by controversy and cynicism.
Every generation of INEC leadership has been tested differently. Professor Attahiru Jega faced credibility challenges amid transition, Professor Mahmood Yakubu confronted logistical and technology-driven reforms, but for the new Chairman, the challenge is moral.
His first task should be to restore the integrity of leadership by ordering a comprehensive verification of the academic and professional qualifications of all elected officers in Nigeria, from the President to Governors, Senators, and members of the State Houses of Assembly.
Why Nigeria Needs a Credential Audit Now
No democracy can thrive where lies are tolerated as credentials. For decades, Nigerians have watched the same drama unfold: candidates parade questionable certificates; petitions arise; courts struggle between technicalities and substance; and, in the end, truth is buried under paperwork. The consequence is a leadership crisis that erodes confidence in governance and in the very institution meant to protect the people’s mandate.
The Constitution requires, at the barest minimum, that anyone seeking elective office must possess a school-leaving certificate or its equivalent. Yet, the repeated controversies around forged or inconsistent documents show that the problem is not qualification—it is truthfulness.
Ogun State: A Case Study in Eroded Trust
Ogun State provides one of the most instructive examples. Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has, since his emergence in 2019, been dogged by allegations regarding inconsistencies in his academic records. Questions around his secondary and university education have surfaced in public discourse, particularly during election seasons.
Court documents and media reports show that opponents alleged discrepancies in the credentials he submitted to INEC, sparking petitions that dragged into the legal arena. While the courts struck out several of those petitions on procedural grounds, what remains unresolved in the minds of many citizens is the authenticity of the documents themselves.
Governor Abiodun’s case is not unique. Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Lasun Yussuf, and even some past governors such as Salisu Buhari, Nigeria’s first Speaker of the Fourth Republic who resigned in 1999 after admitting to certificate forgery, illustrate that this is not a new stain. The difference today is that Nigerians have reached their limit of tolerance.
The embarrassment of repeated scandals weakens Nigeria’s global image and gives fuel to cynics who believe public office is a safe refuge for dishonesty.
The INEC Chairman’s Opportunity
The new INEC Chairman can, and must, change this narrative. By ordering a nationwide verification of academic and professional qualifications for all elected officers, he would not only be acting within INEC’s moral authority but would also be protecting Nigeria’s democracy from collapse under the weight of deceit.
Such an exercise should involve collaboration with key institutions like WAEC, NECO, JAMB, the National Universities Commission, and professional bodies. It must also include the Code of Conduct Bureau and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to ensure that findings have legal consequences.
This reform is not about humiliation, it is about restoration. It is about setting a national standard that honesty matters again.
How Verification Can Be Done Without Politics
The process must be fair, transparent, and non-partisan. Each elected officer, President, Vice President, Governors, Senators, Representatives, and State legislators, should be required to submit their credentials directly to INEC for verification through official channels.
A National Verification Panel chaired by a retired Supreme Court justice and supported by representatives from relevant institutions can be set up to oversee the process. Findings should be published publicly, with summaries indicating which credentials were confirmed genuine and which were found to be inconsistent.
By doing so, INEC would end decades of secrecy and speculation. It would replace rumor with records and restore citizens’ confidence in the electoral system.
What Nigeria Stands to Gain
This reform will save Nigeria from constant embarrassment in foreign and domestic courts. It will also deter the growing culture of political deception. In the long run, it will reduce election-related litigations, as candidates will be filtered for integrity long before ballots are printed.
Moreover, the Nigerian youth, who are constantly told that hard work is the path to success, will finally see that truth, not forgery, is rewarded. It will also empower genuine leaders who have built their qualifications honestly to stand tall without suspicion.
Learning from History
Nigeria has been here before. When Salisu Buhari confessed in 1999 that he lied about his age and fake Toronto University degree, his resignation was swift and decisive. That episode should have taught the country a lasting lesson about the cost of deceit in leadership. Yet, more than two decades later, similar allegations keep resurfacing because institutions like INEC have not made truth-verification a permanent feature of electoral vetting.
The new Chairman can mark a turning point by institutionalizing what previous commissions avoided, truth as the foundation of democracy.
Conclusion: The Audacity of Truth
Leadership without honesty is a fraud on the nation. For too long, Nigeria has mistaken position for merit and power for integrity. The time has come to rebuild trust through verification.
Governor Dapo Abiodun’s ongoing controversy offers INEC the chance to prove that no officeholder is above scrutiny. A transparent audit of every elected official’s academic and professional claims will mark a rebirth of Nigeria’s democracy.
The new INEC Chairman should not fear the noise that will follow, truth is often loud before it brings peace. The nation is waiting for courage at the top of the electoral umpire, because only courage can cleanse the ballot box of deceit.
Integrity must be returned to leadership. Nigeria deserves nothing less.
By Folake Sokoya
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