Uche Nnaji’s Certificate Forgery Saga, 3 Other Political Scandals in Nigeria in 2025
- The year 2025 brought a mix of highs and lows to Nigerian politics, with several unforgettable alleged misconduct making waves in the media
- The year saw political scandals involving top politicians, especially members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)
- In this Year in Review series, Legit.ng takes a look at some of the scandals that rocked Nigerian politics in 2025
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - Year 2025 has been on the horns of a dilemma for several politicians. As usual, some career politicians and former government officials made the headlines, no thanks to scandals.
Legit.ng compiles some of the most controversial incidents.
Source: Twitter
Nigeria’s top political scandals in 2025
1) Uche Nnaji and certificate forgery saga
Nnaji, minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, resigned in October, just days after allegations emerged that he had forged his academic credentials.
The resignation followed a newspaper investigation that claimed Nnaji submitted falsified certificates to President Bola Tinubu during his ministerial appointment in 2023.
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga confirmed Nnaji's resignation in a post on X (formerly Twitter), quoting the minister as saying he had been "a target of blackmail by political opponents".
Nnaji denied the accusations of forgery and has insisted that he did graduate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) with a degree in Microbiology/Biochemistry.
2) Godswill Akpabio and Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan's clash
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, senator representing Kogi Central, submitted a petition alleging she had been sexually harassed by the senate president, Godswill Akpabio.
Nigerian lawmakers subsequently suspended Natasha for six months.
Akpabio denied the allegations of sexual harassment during the Senate’s plenary session in March, asserting that "at no time did I ever harass any woman."
Natasha has returned to the Senate after completing her monthslong suspension.
3) Timipre Sylva's EFCC allegations
In November, an arrest warrant was issued for former Oil minister Timipre Sylva by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC accused Sylva and others of diverting around $15 million (£11 million) of public funds intended for the construction of an oil refinery.
It issued a "wanted notice" on social media, asking anybody with useful information about his whereabouts to get in contact.
Amid the EFCC’s announcement, Sylva accused the anti-graft agency of conducting an unlawful raid on his Maitama, Abuja home, according to a statement he posted on Facebook on Monday, December 8.
4) Mudashiru Obasa's removal, reinstatement as speaker
On January 13, Mudashiru Obasa, speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly, was removed by his colleagues while he was away from the city.
Obasa was sanctioned over allegations of gross misconduct and abuse of office.
Source: Twitter
90 per cent of the Lagos lawmakers voted to impeach him, and Obasa was subsequently replaced by his deputy, Mojisola Meranda, the representative of Apapa Constituency 1.
However, sources revealed that President Tinubu was displeased that the impeachment was carried out without consulting the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership.
In early March, Meranda succumbed to pressure and announced her resignation at the plenary, after which lawmakers immediately re-elected her as the Assembly’s Deputy Speaker.
After several weeks of back and forth and in spite of a subsisting court case over the removal of Obasa as Speaker, President Tinubu and some leaders of the APC reached a political solution considered a win-win for all parties.
Speaking after his return, Obasa thanked the lawmakers while calling for unity and love.
He said:
“We want to assure Lagosians that we have resolved and are determined to serve their interest and protect their interest always.
“Our major responsibility is to represent them, and that’s what we have been doing."
Prophet releases 2026 prophecies
Legit.ng earlier reported that as people look forward to the New Year, Prophet Abel Boma said "many popular men will start losing influence" in 2026.
Boma prophesied that in the coming year, a lot of prosperous and wealthy men would "go down".
Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
