The former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, has criticised lawmakers for removing certificate forgery as a ground for filing election petitions in the newly amended Electoral Act 2026.
ThelensNG reports that Section 138 of the Electoral Act 2026 sets out the grounds for challenging an election, but no longer includes certificate forgery among them. The section states that an election can only be questioned if it involved corrupt practices, non-compliance with the Act, or if the declared winner was not elected by a majority of lawful votes. It also notes that actions that merely contradict directives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), without violating the Act, cannot be used to challenge an election.
The Act further introduces penalties for petitions filed on grounds not recognised by law, including fines of at least ₦5 million for counsel and ₦10 million for the petitioner. It also provides that elections will not be invalidated for non-compliance if tribunals determine that the process largely followed the law and that the alleged violations did not substantially affect the outcome.
Reacting to the development on Friday, Obi expressed dissatisfaction with the lawmakers’ decision, stating that it contradicts the Constitution of Nigeria.
“What type of country are we trying to bequeath for our children?” he asked. “The same lawmakers who have proposed a fine of ₦10 million and up to two years in prison for dual political party membership have simultaneously removed certificate forgery, age falsification, and false declarations as grounds for challenging an election in a tribunal.
“This is in direct contradiction to the provisions of the Constitution of Nigeria (1999, as amended). This situation raises a fundamental question about the priorities of our political system.”
Obi noted that in any serious democracy, the gravest offence in public life is deceiving the people to gain power by submitting false documents, falsifying one’s age, forging certificates, and making dishonest declarations to electoral authorities.
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) explained that such actions should not only lead to automatic disqualification but should also warrant criminal prosecution.
“Yet today, our electoral system seems more focused on protecting political structures than on upholding the truth,” he decried, arguing that there is no justification for prioritising punishment for party alignment over punishing false certificates, forgery, and other forms of deception in the pursuit of public office.
Obi said that laws should strengthen democracy, not weaken it, and should promote ethical leadership rather than lower standards for those who aspire to govern.
He also asserted that a nation cannot rise above the integrity of its leaders, stressing that if Nigerian leaders truly want a better nation, laws must defend truth, character, competence, and accountability.
He added that Nigeria cannot continue to tolerate criminal behaviour.
