Fresh controversy has erupted in Enugu State after a civil society organisation, Defence for Democracy, faulted the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for clearing former Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, to participate in the Party’s forthcoming governorship primaries despite lingering allegations over his academic credentials.
The group warned that the PDP may be walking into a serious political and legal disaster if the former Minister eventually secures the Party’s governorship ticket and the credential allegations resurface in court.
In a statement issued by its National President, Dr. Emeka Nwachukwu, the organisation questioned the integrity of the PDP’s screening exercise, accusing the Party of ignoring weighty concerns surrounding Nnaji’s background.
According to the group, Nnaji, who recently stepped down from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet, is still being investigated over allegations of certificate forgery.
“We therefore find it strange that people can move from controversy to ambition without addressing the questions hanging over their names,” the statement read.
The organisation further claimed that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, could seize on the allegations to pursue accelerated legal action capable of overturning any electoral victory recorded by the former Minister.
“Because we are all in this country, and we know that in an event that this former Minister wins, there will be an accelerated hearing that will hand over that victory to the APC,” the group stated.
Defence for Democracy maintained that leadership should be built on trust, integrity and credibility, insisting that the people of Enugu State deserve leaders with clean records capable of surviving public scrutiny.
“We believe firmly that Enugu deserves honest leadership, grassroots connection, and a leader who understands the pains of the people, and there are many such people,” the organisation added.
The group also urged Nnaji to clear his name before pushing ahead with his governorship ambition, describing the allegations and reports surrounding his credentials as too serious to dismiss.
It further appealed to the national leadership of the PDP to step in before the issue snowballs into what it described as an avoidable embarrassment for the opposition Party.
“We are watching events in Enugu and other parts of the country, and we would have issued this statement to congratulate the Enugu State chapter of the Party if it screened out the former Minister, because there is a moral burden there which is far beyond what the courts might eventually pronounce,” the statement added.
