The NDC presidential candidate says weakening credential checks could erode standards, accountability and public trust in leadership

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, on Tuesday warned that accepting unverified academic credentials in leadership could weaken standards and accountability in Nigerian society, following the release of the credentials of presidential and vice-presidential candidates for the 2027 general election.

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Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, said the debate over academic qualifications should not be shaped by political allegiance but by a consistent commitment to truth, verification and public standards.

In a statement titled, “By making excuses for unverified certificates, we are planting poison in the soul of our society,” Obi argued that the consequences of relaxing credential checks could extend far beyond individual political contests.

“A nation that tolerates unverified academic credentials at any level of leadership, regardless of who is involved, risks destroying the very standards upon which a society is built,” he said.

For Obi, the central issue is not the identity of any particular candidate but the principle that people seeking public responsibility should be able to establish the qualifications on which their claims are based.

“The issue is not about an individual. It is about standards, accountability, and the values we choose to pass on to the next generation,” he said.

The comments came after the Independent National Electoral Commission released the names and academic credentials submitted by presidential and vice-presidential candidates for the 2027 election.

The release places greater public attention on the qualifications declared by candidates as political parties prepare for one of Nigeria’s most closely watched election cycles.

Obi cautioned against treating questionable or incomplete credentials differently depending on which political camp a candidate belongs to.

“We cannot continue to excuse blurred, missing, questionable, or unverified credentials simply because they belong to someone we support,” he said.

“The process through which people attain positions of responsibility matters greatly. How we get into leadership is as important as what we do with leadership.”

His argument goes beyond the immediate political contest, raising a broader concern about the relationship between qualifications, public trust and institutional standards.

Obi warned that once credential verification becomes negotiable, the consequences could eventually affect professions where qualifications are directly connected to public safety and institutional integrity.

“If we normalise the abandonment of basic verification today, tomorrow we may have professors who never attended a university, doctors who never studied medicine, and judges who never studied law,” he said.

“That is the dangerous precedent we must never allow.”

The former governor said Nigeria could not afford to allow short-term political interests to override standards that should apply across society.

“Nigeria cannot sacrifice its future on the altar of today’s transactional politics,” he said.

The statement also reflected Obi’s wider emphasis on institutional accountability and the need for public office holders to be judged by standards that are applied consistently.

He called for a political culture in which facts and verification are not treated as partisan issues.

“We must build a society where truth is not partisan, standards are not negotiable, and accountability applies equally to everyone,” Obi said.

The call comes as parties and candidates increasingly turn their attention to the 2027 general election, with the verification and publication of candidate information forming part of the broader electoral process.

For Obi, however, the significance of the exercise extends beyond compliance with electoral requirements. He argued that it also provides an opportunity to reaffirm the standards expected of those seeking the country’s highest offices.

“History will judge us not only by those we defended, but by the principles we were willing to defend,” he said.

“We must choose truth over convenience, standards over sentiments, and the future over political expediency.”

The remarks place credential verification within a wider conversation about the quality of leadership and the institutional safeguards required to sustain public confidence.

As the 2027 election approaches, the debate is likely to continue around how candidates establish their qualifications and how political institutions, parties, the media and voters scrutinise the information presented to the public.

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For Obi, the principle is straightforward: academic standards should remain verifiable and should apply equally, regardless of political affiliation or the identity of the person involved.