The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has been urged to investigate allegations surrounding the educational qualifications submitted by the Minister of State for Defence for electoral purposes.
The call was contained in a petition dated July 2, 2026, submitted by YAS Law Firm on behalf of Patriots for the Advancement of Peace and Social Development, led by its Executive Director, Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi.
The petition urged the anti-corruption agency to investigate allegations relating to a National Examination Council Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination Internal result said to have been submitted by the minister and prosecute him if any offence is established.
According to the petition, the minister submitted a NECO SSCE Internal result among the documents filed with the Independent National Electoral Commission for his nomination ahead of the 2023 governorship election in Zamfara State.
The petition questioned whether he was eligible to sit for the June 2018 SSCE Internal examination, arguing that it is meant exclusively for final-year secondary school students.
It cited NECO registration guidelines, which require candidates to be registered through their schools, possess a valid National Identification Number, provide accurate biodata, submit recent passport photographs in school uniform and undergo biometric capture.
The petition further stated that transfers into Senior Secondary School Three are prohibited and that only final-year students are eligible for registration.
It argued that the circumstances under which the minister allegedly sat the examination in 2018 should be investigated, noting that he had previously served in the House of Representatives before contesting the 2019 governorship election.
The petition listed the examination details as Centre Number 0140300, Universal Academy, Kaduna; Registration Number 82806975CC; and Zamfara State as the candidate’s state of origin.
It also claimed that the minister contested several elective positions between 1998 and 2023, including Local Government chairman, member of the House of Representatives, senator and governor.
According to the petition, documents previously submitted to INEC included a statement of result issued by the Ministry of Education, Sokoto State, Division of Science and Technical Education, Vocational Training Centre, Bunza, for the May/June 1985 examination.
It further referred to a letter dated December 28, 2018, from the Federal Ministry of Education’s Evaluation and Accreditation Division, which reportedly stated that the vocational certificate could not be evaluated because it was not equivalent to a Senior School Certificate issued by either WAEC or NECO.
The petition argued that Section 65(2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, requires candidates seeking election into the House of Representatives to possess at least a school certificate or its equivalent, while Section 177(d) prescribes the same qualification for governorship candidates.
It therefore urged the ICPC to determine whether the constitutional educational requirements were met in the elections contested by the minister.
The petition said it attached copies of the 1985 vocational training statement of result, the Federal Ministry of Education’s evaluation letter, the June 2018 NECO SSCE result and certified true copies of INEC Forms CF001 (2011), CF001 (2019) and EC9 (2023) to aid the investigation.
It also called on the commission to verify the minister’s claimed attendance at Yaba College of Technology, saying the submitted forms did not indicate the course studied or the period of attendance.
The petition added that public office holders should be held accountable and urged the ICPC to carry out a thorough investigation and take appropriate action if any violation of the law is established.
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