The Civic Accountability & Electoral Transparency Initiative has demanded greater clarity over the WAEC credentials submitted by former Chairman of Kosofe Local Government Area, Lagos State, Dele Oshinowo, to the Independent National Electoral Commission ahead of the 2027 elections.
The group, known as CAETI, said the demand followed its review of educational documents attributed to Oshinowo and published by INEC for public scrutiny.
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In a statement signed by its Director-General, Adewale Oladimeji, the organisation said some details contained in the documents appeared faint or difficult to read.
CAETI, however, stressed that the submission of two WAEC-related documents does not, on its own, amount to evidence of wrongdoing.
Rather, it said its concern was whether the documents currently available to the public were sufficiently clear to allow voters and other interested Nigerians to independently examine and verify the information contained in them.
The group said examination details, dates, subjects, grades and other identifying information appeared difficult to decipher in the copies available for public scrutiny.
It consequently questioned how voters could meaningfully verify a candidate’s educational credentials when the relevant information was not sufficiently legible.
CAETI said transparency in the electoral process should go beyond merely making documents available.
According to the group, information intended for public scrutiny must be presented in a form that is clear, accessible and independently verifiable.
It therefore called on Oshinowo to voluntarily publish high-resolution copies of the original WAEC certificate or result documents he submitted to INEC.
The organisation said the publication should be clear enough for members of the public to examine the relevant details without ambiguity.
CAETI also urged INEC to review the manner in which candidates’ educational credentials are displayed, arguing that documents published for public scrutiny should be sufficiently legible.
“Transparency should not be reduced to merely putting a document on a notice board,” the organisation said.
It added that genuine transparency requires information to be “intelligible, accessible and verifiable.”
The group was careful to distinguish its demand from an allegation of forgery or other wrongdoing against Oshinowo.
CAETI said its intervention was aimed at promoting clarity and accountability in the electoral process ahead of the 2027 elections.
“If the documents are genuine, complete and verifiable, there should be no difficulty in presenting them clearly to the public,” the organisation said.
The group further urged political stakeholders and residents of Kosofe to rely on facts and independent verification rather than speculation or political rhetoric.
“Kosofe deserves clarity. Kosofe deserves transparency and accountability,” CAETI declared.
It called on Oshinowo to make clear copies of the credentials submitted to INEC available to the public and allow voters to independently examine and verify them ahead of the 2027 electoral process.