List of top Nigerian Politicians involved in Certificate Forgery Allegations

General Oct 6, 2025 0 5 Add to Reading List

Since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999, the controversy of forged or questionable certificates has now become a recurring theme especially for some of Nigeria’s most influential politicians.

Allegations of certificate forgery have been made against both elected officials and appointees, ranging from state governors and lawmakers to ministers and even presidential candidates.

However, not every allegation has ended with a guilty verdict. Some cases collapsed due to a lack of evidence, political maneuvering, or the complexities of Nigeria’s legal system. For others, damning revelations confirmed deliberate forgery and misrepresentation of academic qualifications.

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10 Politicians Who Allegedly Forged Their Certificates

1. Uche Geoffrey Nnaji

Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, the minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, has been facing allegations of forgery since July 2023, when President Bola Tinubu nominated him as one of the first 28 ministers.

At his Senate confirmation hearing on August 1, 2023, Nnaji had claimed he graduated in 1985 and completed his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Jos the following year. However, the documents he submitted to the Senate raised some red flags.

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The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) also disowned the degree certificate he presented, stating that he had never graduated from the institution. In a letter dated October 2, 2025, UNN vice chancellor Professor Simon U. Ortuanya confirmed suspicions:

We can confirm that Mr Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, with Matriculation Number 1981/30725, was admitted by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1981. From every available record, we are unable to confirm that Mr Nnaji graduated in July 1985, as there are no records of his completion of study. The University DID NOT and consequently COULD NOT have issued the purported certificate.

The degree certificate was also questionable, showing a July 1985 graduation date even though the NYSC certificate suggested service began in April that year. NYSC officials later confirmed no certificate had ever been issued to him, while UNN staff recalled he struggled academically, failed key courses, and was advised to withdraw. A convocation booklet from 1985 confirmed his absence from that year’s graduate list.

2. Bola Tinubu

Allegations that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu forged his Chicago State University (CSU) diploma spread widely after the school released his academic records in response to a court case filed by opposition leader Atiku Abubakar.

Mr Abubakar, who lost the February 2023 election, asked a US court to compel CSU to release Tinubu’s records, hoping to prove forgery. CSU complied but explained that it no longer retains copies of diplomas once they are collected. Instead, it released sample diplomas from 1979 and confirmed Tinubu was awarded a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration that year.

CSU also confirmed that it issued replacement diplomas to Tinubu in later years. The BBC reviewed the documents and found no evidence that the diploma Tinubu submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was forged, despite its differing style from the 1979 versions. CSU clarified there was no confusion about Tinubu’s gender or identity, confirming he graduated with honors in 1979.

3. Stella Oduah

The academic records and claims of former Senator Stella Oduah have long been a subject of controversy. According to her National Assembly profile, she had claimed to have studied at St. Paul’s College in Virginia, United States, between 1978 and 1982, where she earned a degree in Accounting.

However, in an investigative report, SaharaReporters alleged that Oduah fabricated her academic credentials. noting that the then-president of St. Paul’s College, Dr. Claud Flythe, refused to either verify or deny her claims. She was also accused of misrepresenting whether she completed the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme and of using falsified documents to secure appointments as a minister and later as a senator.

In 2023, she was billed to be arraigned on eight counts related to these accusations, but proceedings stalled, and the Federal High Court has since expressed frustration over her repeated absence in court, at one point threatening to issue a bench warrant for her arrest.

4. Muhammadu Buhari

The late former President Muhammadu Buhari was embroiled in a certificate controversy as far back as 2015, when the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) questioned the absence of his secondary school certificate after he emerged as the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate. Despite the allegations, he won the election.

When he sought re-election in 2019, the controversy resurfaced, as Buhari failed to include his academic credentials among the documents submitted to INEC, and critics accused him of lacking even a secondary school education.

To quiet the uproar, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) later issued an attestation certificate affirming that Buhari had indeed obtained a secondary school certificate in 1961. Over time, the official narrative has been that Buhari’s original school certificates were taken by the military (when he joined the armed forces), and that the military “lost” them.

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5. Goodluck Jonathan

The dispute over former President Goodluck Jonathan’s PhD degree began when ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo publicly claimed in 2015 that Jonathan had not completed his doctoral programme.

It's widely believed that Jonathan holds a BSc in Zoology (1981), an MSc in Hydrobiology & Fisheries (1985), and a PhD in Zoology (1995), all from the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT). UNIPORT has consistently rejected the allegations, calling them baseless and stating that Jonathan did indeed complete all prescribed course requirements.

Its Deputy Registrar (Information), Dr. William Wodi, explicitly affirmed that Jonathan matriculated in 1977, earned his BSc in 1981, MSc in 1985, and was awarded his PhD in 1995. In 2018, the UNIPORT Alumni Association also defended Jonathan.

6. Kemi Adeosun

She explained that, having lived and schooled abroad, she believed she was exempt from serving under NYSC rules. After her resignation, Adeosun challenged the requirement to present an NYSC certificate to hold public office.