A former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has “quietly” moved from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) despite a certificate forgery scandal on his neck.
Mr Nnaji had been a member of the APC under which he unsuccessfully contested in the 2023 governorship election in Enugu State.
But his membership of the APC became shaky following his resignation as minister in October, which came three days after PREMIUM TIMES published an investigation that exposed how he forged his University of Nigeria Nsukka Degree certificate and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate.
Quiet defection
Mr Nnaji neither publicly announced his resignation from the APC nor his defection to the PDP.
PREMIUM TIMES reports that the former minister has been holding political gatherings with some of his supporters and PDP members in Enugu State in recent times.
But Samuel Anyanwu, the national secretary of the PDP faction backed by Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, confirmed to this newspaper on Sunday that Mr Nnaji has now joined the party.
Robert Ngwu, the spokesperson to Mr Nnaji, did not respond to several calls and a text message seeking clarifications on the former minister’s membership of the PDP and quiet defection to the opposition party.
Governorship ambition despite ongoing ICPC probe
Upon enquiry, Mr Anyanwu said he could not confirm if Mr Nnaji had purchased the PDP’s expression of interest and nomination forms to contest in the party’s governorship primary in Enugu State.
The PDP national secretary said he could only confirm that the former minister has joined the opposition party.
However, PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr Nnaji, on Saturday, inaugurated Uche Ndi Enugu Grassroots Movement, a support group for his 2027 Enugu governorship bid.
The former minister also spoke on his plans for Enugu if elected governor of the state.
Meanwhile, in mid-April, Sun newspaper reported that Mr Nnaji pledged to serve for one four-year tenure if elected governor of Enugu State, indicating that he will be contesting in the forthcoming 2027 governorship poll in Enugu.
“I want to state this clearly and without any ambiguity; I will serve only one term of four years if elected governor in 2027,” Mr Nnaji pledged, arguing that he does not need more than four years to turn things around in Enugu.
The former minister made the pledge despite not publicly resigning from the APC or announcing his defection to the PDP, although he has been seen frequently moving around with some known PDP members in the state.
Mr Nnaji is under investigation over certificate forgery by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
PREMIUM TIMES exclusively reported in February that the ICPC began an investigation into Mr Nnaji’s forgery scandal.
Insiders had told this newspaper that the former minister could be prosecuted if the investigation shows that he truly forged his credentials.
This newspaper exclusively reported in March that an investigative panel set up by Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, found that Mr Nnaji indeed forged his degree and NYSC certificates.
Background
In October 2023, PREMIUM TIMES began investigating Mr Nnaji’s academic records.
The then-minister had submitted a degree and NYSC certificates to President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian Senate during his ministerial confirmation in 2023.
He claimed he obtained a degree certificate from UNN, where he purportedly graduated in 1985.
Apparently disturbed that he was under scrutiny, Mr Nnaji filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja to block both UNN and its vice-chancellor, Simon Ortuanya, a professor, from releasing his academic records.
Apart from the UNN and its vice-chancellor, the minister of education, the NUC, the university’s registrar, a former UNN Acting Vice-Chancellor, Oguejiofor Ujam, and the Senate of the university were listed as defendants in the suit.
However, the politician, through his legal team, recently applied for an out-of-court settlement.
READ ALSO: EXCLUSIVE: UNN sanctions official for issuing false document claiming ex-Minister Uche Nnaji graduated from university
Before the then-minister minister could obtain an injunction from the court, Mr Ortuanya had responded to PREMIUM TIMES’ FOI letter, confirming that Mr Nnaji had forged his UNN degree certificate.
The UNN registrar would shortly thereafter corroborate Mr Ortuanya’s position, indicating that although Mr Nnaji was admitted to the university in 1981, he neither graduated nor was issued any certificate.
NYSC authorities, in response to a separate FOI letter from PREMIUM TIMES, had disowned the discharge certificate in possession of the then-minister.
Mr Nnaji resigned from his position as minister three days after this newspaper published the investigation exposing how he forged his degree and NYSC certificates.
Many Nigerians had called for Mr Nnaji’s prosecution, maintaining that his resignation was inadequate in light of his violations of various Nigerian laws, including the Criminal Code Act.
Two months ago, a legal practitioner, Liborous Oshoma, criticised the Nigerian government for failing to prosecute Mr Nnaji over the certificate forgery scandal, maintaining that people like the former minister “should be prosecuted and banned from holding public office to serve as a deterrent to others.”