Minister Who Resigned Over Degree Certificate Scandal Makes INEC List With WAEC Result

● Controversy As Ali Pantami, Ladi Adebutu’s Names Missing On List

The Independent National Electoral Commission has cleared Geoffrey Nnaji, former Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, to contest the 2027 governorship election in Enugu State.

His name is number 13 on the list of candidates released by the Commission on Saturday night and signed by INEC Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony.

It is a dramatic political comeback for a man who resigned from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet amid a raging certificate scandal.

Nnaji had stepped down after a PREMIUM TIMES investigative report alleged that he submitted forged academic and NYSC certificates to President Tinubu and the Senate during his ministerial nomination process in 2023.

The report claimed the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, disowned the degree certificate he submitted, stating that although he was admitted in 1981, he never completed his studies and was never awarded a degree.

The investigation further revealed that in a court affidavit, Nnaji himself admitted that the university never issued him a degree certificate and that he had “never collected one.”

That scandal appeared to have ended his political career.

But the ICPC twist kept the case alive. The anti-graft agency arrested Nnaji at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on July 1, 2026, after multiple invitations he allegedly failed to honour.

He was later arraigned before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, for certificate forgery, abuse of office and money laundering.

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Nnaji pleaded not guilty and was granted bail in the sum of N20 million with one surety.

Now, INEC’s latest list has reignited controversy.

Instead of the disputed university degree, Nnaji tendered only his WAEC result as his highest qualification for the governorship race.

The move meets the constitutional minimum for contesting governorship, which requires at least a school certificate, but it has raised eyebrows in political circles.

On the same list, the names of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Ali Pantami, and PDP chieftain Ladi Adebutu were conspicuously missing, fueling fresh controversy over INEC’s screening.

For Nnaji, who is running on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the clearance is a lifeline.

Whether the WAEC gambit will survive potential court challenges from opponents, especially with a forgery case still pending in court, will define the early days of the Enugu 2027 race.

NOP NIGERIA