The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has described the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a nest of certificate forgers, in reference to the involvement of Uche Nnaji, former minister of innovation, science and technology in an alleged certificate scandal.
Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC national publicity secretary, writing on his X handle, said the involvement of the minister in certificate forgery in the APC government is “merely indicative and actually confirms the party as a nest of certificate forgers.”
Abdullahi described the President’s action in allowing the minister to resign as weak and disappointing, saying that a government that claims to uphold integrity cannot afford to treat criminal conduct like a personal matter.
The ADC stated that it believes the President’s decision to merely accept the offending former minister’s resignation, rather than taking a tougher stance, gives the unfortunate impression that the President is sympathetic to such behaviour.
“We are equally appalled that the Minister was allowed to quietly resign after publicly admitting that the relevant institutions did not issue the certificates he presented. This sends the wrong message to Nigerians, especially the youth, that dishonesty carries no consequence in public life.
“It is imperative to reiterate that both the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) officially disowned the certificates Mr. Nnaji presented for his ministerial appointment, while court filings by the Minister himself confirmed that UNN never awarded him any degree certificate.”
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The party stated that by simply accepting his resignation, “President Tinubu has shown that, for whatever reason, his administration is willing to let corrupt officials off the hook easily, and he is not willing to set an example for those who serve under him that dishonesty has serious consequences.
“As mentioned in our initial statement on this subject, Nigerians are aware that this is not an isolated incident but part of a troubling pattern that has defined the APC government since its inception.
“From one certificate scandal to another, Nigerians have watched the APC turn dishonesty into an identity, offering sanctuary to people with questionable integrity and forged documents. Indeed, if the President cannot act firmly in a case that was this clear, how can Nigerians trust his government to fight corruption in any other form?
“As a party, we therefore call on relevant law enforcement agencies to pursue an independent investigation into the matter, noting that resignation does not erase criminal liability. Forgery is not a private offence, it is a crime. If found guilty, Mr. Nnaji should be prosecuted in accordance with the law. Anything less will amount to a cover-up.”
