OPEN LETTER: THE DEATH OF MERIT AND THE LEGALIZATION OF FRAUD IN NIGERIA’S ELECTORAL SYSTEM.
OPEN LETTER: THE DEATH OF MERIT AND THE LEGALIZATION OF FRAUD IN NIGERIA’S ELECTORAL SYSTEM.
TO: The International Bar Association (IBA), The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), The Commonwealth Lawyers Association, and the Global Human Rights Community.
SUBJECT: URGENT NOTICE ON THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL FORGERY PERMIT IN NIGERIA’S ELECTORAL ACT 2026.
Distinguished Colleagues and Defenders of Justice,
We write to you today with a heavy heart but a firm resolve to alert the global legal community to a treacherous assault on the leadership recruitment standards of Africa’s largest democracy.
A legislative agenda is currently being executed in Nigeria, managed by high-ranking legal professionals and political actors that effectively seeks to grant a legal permit for certificate forgery.
The Constitutional Violation.
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 Constituti.on.
The Danger of the Amupitan-Tinubu Agenda
This is not a mere administrative adjustment. It is a deliberate dirty task designed to achieve three dangerous outcomes:
1. The Institutionalization of Dishonesty.
It sends a message to millions of Nigerian students and professionals that their hard-earned degrees are worthless compared to a forged paper protected by political patronage.
2. The Erosion of Leadership Standards.
By allowing forgers to occupy the highest offices, the Nigerian state abdicates its moral authority and invites global ridicule.
3. Constitutional Sabotage.
This is a direct attempt to amend the Constitution through the back door of an Electoral Act, a move that is legally offensive and democratically fatal.
A Call to Action.
The silence of the legal community in the face of this forgery permit is a betrayal of the oath we all took to defend the law. We specifically call out the irony of a Professor of Law presiding over the dilution of truth and the protection of fraud.
We urge the Nigerian Bar Association and our international counterparts to:
A. Condemn the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 that shield certificate forgers.
B. Support the upcoming constitutional challenges to strike down these inconsistent clauses.
C. Hold accountable those legal professionals who lend their expertise to the subversion of the Constitution for the benefit of a corrupt few.
Leadership is a sacred trust. It cannot be built on a foundation of forgery. If we allow this to stand, we are not just losing an election; we are losing a nation.
Signed,
Comrade Ibrahim Garba Wala (IG Wala).
National Lead Advocate, The Handshake Movement.
