NGO to Start Verifying Politicians' Certificates Before Election, Partners with IPAC
- A non-governmental organisation has announced plans to start verification of politicians credentials before elections
- The group has the next general elections, due in 2027, in sight as the time to launch its operations in full-scale
- The group vows to work with all stakeholders involved, including political parties, to make the process a thorough and easy one
The National Chartered Institute of Forensics and Certified Fraud Investigators of Nigeria has announced its plan to begin verifying political office aspirants' credentials for the 2027 general election.
The forensic training centre said it would work closely with the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) to make the challenging mission a reality.
Source: Twitter
The announcement was made by the pioneer president and chairman of the Governing Council of the Institute, Dr. Iliyasu Gashinbaki, in a meeting with the IPAC leadership in Abuja on Tuesday, May 14.
Gashinbanki revealed that the politicians' records would be validated before primary elections were even held.
This will prevent the embarrassing situation that unfolded in Bayelsa state, where a governor was unseated because his deputy paraded fake credentials. This means that the state is being governed by a candidate the majority did not vote for, the Vanguard reported.
Certificate-verifying group vows honesty
The institute mentioned that among the documents whose veracity they will be checking are NYSC certificates, tax clearance certificates, and academic certificates filled out, as they are the ones subjected to forgery the most by the political players.
Gashinbanki said:
"For this reason, we are setting up two laboratories that would be too critical for the 2027 general elections to ensure that no dubious or forged document of any kind will be submitted by politicians during the elections. We’ve had instances of forged NYSC certificates, tax clearance certificates, academic certificates filled in by politicians like in the case of Bayelsa, to stand for elections and this leads the country to embarrassment and the electorate are shortchanged"
Group partners with IPAC
The chairman of IPAC, Alhaji Yusuf Dantalle, has expressed the council's will to work with the organisation and bring their mission to fruition.
Dantalle described the problem of certificate forgery as self-inflicted, noting that the development put forward by the institute is a step in the right direction.
Dantalle said:
“This partnership, for me and the council, is a welcome development. It must be encouraged and consolidated.”
FG vows to expose Nigerians parading fake certificates
Legit.ng had earlier reported that the minister of education, led by Prof. Tahir Mamman, said the FG would uncover individuals with fake certificates in Nigeria, following an investigation into degree mills.
Mamman stressed the need to maintain educational integrity and pledged collaboration with relevant agencies to restore the system's credibility.
Proofread by Kola Muhammed, journalist and copyeditor at Legit.ng
PAY ATTENTION: Donate to Legit Charity on Patreon. Your support matters!
Source: Legit.ng
