By Samuel Abasiekong-Abasiekong
The amendment of the Electoral Act 2026 to remove the constitution provision which restrains the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC from clearing aspirants holding forged and questionable certificates is revisited by a socio-political group known as The Handshake Movement.
Drawing the attention of the International Bar Association (IBA), The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), The Commonwealth Lawyers Association, and the Global Human Rights Community to what the group calls “a treacherous assault on the leadership recruitment standards of Africa’s largest democracy” in an Open Letter titled: “The Death of Merit and the Legalization of Fraud in Nigeria’s Electoral System” the organization extent its hands to the global legal community to come for the rescue of Nigeria.
The Open Letter which was signed by Comrade Ibrahim Garba Wala, the
National Lead Advocate of the group and has gone viral on all social media platforms, questioned why a presidential aspirant holding a forged certificate should be allowed to contest election in Nigeria as provided by the new Electoral Act.
Exposing the hollow section of the Electoral Act 2026 which contravenes the 1999 Nigerian Constitution as amended, the Open Letter reads in part:
“The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) is unambiguous. Section 137(1)(j) states: “No person shall be qualified for election to the office of President if… he has presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission.”
“Despite this supreme provision, recent administrative maneuvers and legislative loopholes within the Electoral Act 2026, championed under the current administration and supervised by Professor Amupitan are being utilized to insulate candidates from the consequences of fraud. By restricting locus standi and de-prioritizing certificate verification as a ground for disqualification, these actors are attempting to make a sub-law that overrides the Constitution”
The group further said if this is allowed to stand, it will institutionalize dishonesty by sending a clear message to millions of Nigerian students and professionals that their hard-earned degrees are worthless compared to a forged paper protected by political patronage.
And by allowing forgers to occupy the highest offices in the land, the Nigerian state will clearly abdicates its moral authority and invites global ridicule.
Calling for action from IBA, NBA and others, the letter says the silence of the legal community in the face of this forgery permit is a betrayal of the oath they all took to defend the law.
The Open Letter urges the Nigerian Bar Association and other international counterparts to condemn the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 that shield certificate forgers and support the upcoming constitutional challenges the group wants to ignite to strike down some inconsistent clauses in the Electoral Act 2026
