The former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other relevant screening bodies to ensure strict scrutiny of candidates’ documents and backgrounds ahead of future elections.
Obi said this would prevent the continued embarrassment of having individuals with forged certificates and fraudulent affidavits occupying public offices.
In a statement issued by the Peter Obi Media Research (POMR) and signed by its spokesman, Ibrahim Umar, the former Anambra State governor lamented that several politicians who contested the 2023 elections presented fake credentials but still scaled through INEC, security, and Senate screening processes.
He stressed that the integrity of the electoral process was more important than what elected officials do after assuming office.
“The process by which one gets to office is far more fundamental than what they do thereafter,” Obi said.
He described certificate forgery as a “serious criminal offence” globally, lamenting that in Nigeria, such offences are often overlooked or dismissed by courts as “pre-election matters.”
Citing his discussions with the Chairman of Indonesia’s General Elections Commission during a visit earlier in the year, Obi said candidates caught presenting forged documents in that country face immediate disqualification and prosecution.
“If someone can forge a certificate, how can that person be trusted to lead others?” he quoted the Indonesian official as saying.
Obi accused INEC of neglecting its duty to verify certificates before and after elections, adding that the agency’s failure had allowed dishonest individuals to thrive in leadership.
He called for electoral reforms mandating that all candidates submit their academic certificates to INEC at least six months before elections, with details made public for 90 days to allow for verification.
“This process must also apply to appointed officials, ministers, and aides because when dishonesty starts from the top, it spreads to every level of governance,” he added.
Obi maintained that Nigeria must treat certificate forgery with the seriousness it deserves, warning that rewarding deceit with power undermines national integrity.
“We must end the era where forgery and deceit are rewarded with power. True leadership must begin with truth. A New Nigeria is possible,” Obi said.
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