Obi charges INEC, others to verify certificates ahead of 2027 polls

By Jude Opara, Abuja

The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other relevant clearing authorities to ensure thorough scrutiny of candidates to prevent the embarrassment of allowing undeserving elements into office.

Obi regretted that today many people who are in office are parading forged certificates and fraudulent affidavits they used in 2023, yet they were cleared by both INEC, security and the Senate, despite parading forged documents.

He reiterated the news for thorough scrutiny because the process by which one gets to office is far more fundamental than what they would do while on office.

The former governor of Anambra state advised INEC and others to ensure that candidates’ documents and character are thoroughly examined and necessary action taken.

Obi who was writing on his X handle titled ‘The danger of making crime a norm’, stated, “Whenever I talk about Nigeria being a crime scene, those who are part of the criminality and their hirelings will quickly start their noise-making, attacking and blackmailing me. But how do you tell people that those whose integrity, character and behaviour are supposed to be exemplary and emulated in society have become the very source of the nation’s decay? How do you tell young Nigerians to be honest and upright when those they are supposed to emulate are the least to be emulated because they are criminals and dishonest?

“Certificate forgery is a serious criminal offence in all countries of the world. It is one of the most corrupt practices heavily punished.

“In one of my knowledge-seeking visits to Indonesia early this year, after interacting with several ministers responsible for Health, Villages, SMEs, Planning, and Education, as well as the Vice President and President Joko Widodo on development, I met with the Chairman of the General Elections Commission of Indonesia. I asked him about the educational qualifications required to participate in elections from local government to the state legislature, governorship, and up to the presidential level. He openly stated these qualifications to me.

“My team and I then asked a simple question: What happens if someone contests for public office with a forged certificate or did not attend the school he claimed he attended? He looked at me, surprised and shocked, and said, it attracts immediate disqualification and prosecution. It is a criminal offence. He added. If someone can forge a certificate, how can that person be trusted to lead others?

He regretted that despite the fact that there are laws prohibiting certificate forgery in Nigeria, INEC makes no effort to scrutinize certificates before the elections, and even overlooks the complaints.

“And when you challenge the forgery in court, the court will dismiss the serious criminal issues as “pre-election matters” without giving this criminal act appropriate punishment.
INEC, even after the elections, does not bother to revisit or investigate these serious offences before the next election.

“Even more disturbing, amounting to double tragedy, is that most of these dishonest people swore to an affidavit before a law court attesting to the authenticity of the documents they presented”.

He called on all Nigerians to join hands and end the era where forgery and deceit are rewarded with power, because true leadership must begin with truth.