The African Democratic Congress (ADC) said the All Progressives Congress (APC) is a sanctuary to people with questionable integrity and identity crisis.
ADC in a statement by the interim National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, described as disappointing that President Bola Tinubu’s minister who was alleged to have forged his certificates, quietly resign “after publicly admitting that the certificates he presented were not issued by the relevant institutions.”
This, the party stated, sent the wrong message to Nigerians, especially the youth, that dishonesty carries no consequence in public life.
ADC noted that both the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) officially disowned the certificates Nnaji presented for his ministerial appointment, “while court filings by the minister himself confirmed that UNN never awarded him any degree certificate.”
According to the party, by simply accepting his resignation, “President Tinubu has shown that for whatever reason, his administration is willing to let corrupt officials off the hook easily and he is not willing to set example for those who serve under him that dishonesty has serious consequences.”
ADC believed that the decision of President Tinubu to merely accept the offending former minister’s resignation instead of taking a tougher stance gives the impression that his is sympathetic to such behaviour.
“If the president cannot act firmly in a case that was this clear, how can Nigerians trust his government to fight corruption in any other form?” the tasked.
It therefore call on relevant law enforcement agencies to pursue an independent investigation into the matter, noting that resignation does not erase criminal liability.
“Forgery is not a private offence, it is a crime. If found guilty, Mr. Nnaji should be prosecuted in accordance with the law. Anything less will amount to a cover-up,” ADC warned.