Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has slammed the judiciary and the Independent National Electoral Commission for sidestepping the issue of certificate forgery.

In a statement on Monday, Mr Obi slammed those defending criminality in the country, adding certificate forgery is not only a serious criminal offence but also one of the most corrupt practices heavily punished in all countries of the world.

“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,” the politician said. “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?”

The politician noted that while certificate forgers in other countries such as Indonesia are disqualified from elections for immediate prosecution, electoral body in Nigeria makes no effort to scrutinize certificates before elections, allowing criminal politicians to get into elective positions.

“But in my country Nigeria, though the laws are same as in other countries, that forgery is punished by immediate disqualification, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) makes no effort to scrutinise certificates before the elections, overlooks complaints of forgery and when you challenged after the elections, 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,” he stated.

While expressing concern over how certificate forgers scale through all the scrutiny layers in the country, Mr Obi said it was tragic that “dishonest politicians swore to an affidavit before a law court attesting to the authenticity of the documents they presented”.

The former Anambra governor tasked INEC to investigate past complaints about various forms of forgery and false claims ahead of 2027, stressing criminal offences such as certificate forgery should not be dismissed as a mere procedural matter.

“Our electoral amendments must include that anyone intending to contest for any public office, whether an incumbent or a new candidate, must submit all academic certificates to the electoral body immediately after party primaries, at least six months before the election.

“These certificates, alongside details of schools attended, what was studied and years of study, should be made public for verification within 90 days. This process must also apply to appointed officials, ministers and even aides, because when dishonesty starts from the top, it spreads to every level of governance, just like it’s happening now,” he explained.