The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has cautioned against normalising crime in Nigeria, saying the country’s moral fabric is being eroded by leaders who indulge in acts of dishonesty, including certificate forgery.
Obi stated this in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday, which was sighted by AFRIPOST.
He lamented that many public office holders who should be role models have instead become the source of the nation’s moral decay.
He wrote: “Whenever I talk about Nigeria being a crime scene, those who are part of the criminality and their hirelings will quickly start their noise-making, attacking and blackmailing me.
“But how do you tell people that those whose integrity, character and behaviour are supposed to be exemplary and emulated in society have become the very source of the nation’s decay?
“How do you tell young Nigerians to be honest and upright when those they are supposed to emulate are the least to be emulated because they are criminals and dishonest?”
The former Anambra State governor described certificate forgery as a serious offence in every part of the world and said it should be treated with the same level of seriousness in Nigeria.
He recounted his recent visit to Indonesia, where he said he was told by the country’s election officials that anyone who presented forged documents for public office would face immediate disqualification and prosecution.
“If someone can forge a certificate, how can that person be trusted to lead others?” he quoted the Indonesian election commission chairman as saying.
Obi, however, accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the courts of turning a blind eye to cases of certificate forgery among politicians.
“In my country Nigeria, though the laws are same as in other countries, that forgery is punished by immediate disqualification, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) makes no effort to scrutinize certificates before the elections, overlooks complaints of forgery and when you challenged after the elections, court will dismiss the serious criminal issues as ‘pre-election matters’ without giving this criminal act appropriate punishment,” he said.
The LP flagbearer said it was disturbing that some dishonest politicians were able to evade multiple layers of scrutiny and even swore false affidavits to authenticate fake documents.
He urged INEC to use the time before the 2027 general elections to investigate previous complaints of forgery and false claims by candidates.
“We must deal with certificate forgery holistically with the seriousness and level of criminality it deserves. Criminal offences should not be dismissed as a mere procedural matter.
“We must end the era where forgery and deceit are rewarded with power. True leadership must begin with truth,” Obi added.