A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ladan Salihu, has alleged that the National Assembly of Nigeria deliberately removed provisions relating to certificate forgery from the Electoral Act as part of political calculations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Salihu made the allegation on Monday during an appearance on The Morning Show on Arise Television.
He argued that the legislative decision may have been influenced by political interests connected to the ruling party’s candidate in the last presidential election.
According to the ADC chieftain, the National Assembly has increasingly come under the influence of the executive arm of government.
He claimed that lawmakers often align their actions with the wishes of the presidency rather than acting independently.
Salihu suggested that the removal of certificate forgery provisions from the Electoral Act raises serious questions about transparency and accountability in the country’s electoral system.
He further argued that such a move could limit the ability of courts to entertain certain electoral disputes in the future.
Speaking during the programme, he said:
“Look, we all know when you say the National Assembly is this and it’s that. Everybody knows that we don’t have a National Assembly. We have a National Assembly that is overpowered by the executive that has become the eco chamber of the executive.
“They do the bidding of the executive. They are the willing tools of the executive in perpetuating a grand design to structurally capture power in 2027 by way of subterfuge.
“So if you take anything to the National Assembly, be rest assured that you will be overpowered. It doesn’t matter whether conscience is involved or anything of that, no decorum, no conscience.
“Nothing will justify that. How do you delete the issue of forgery from the Electoral Act?
“It is simply because of their own presidential candidate in the last elections. And if you do that, you are now clearing the ground for him to make sure that such issues do not come up again for discussion in the courts when you go to the judiciary. Let me just leave this for another day.”
However, the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Felix Morka, rejected the claims during the same programme.
Morka explained that the Electoral Act cannot override the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He stressed that certificate forgery remains a criminal offence under Nigerian law regardless of provisions contained in the electoral legislation.
He stated that the absence of specific wording in the Electoral Act does not legalise or excuse acts of forgery in the country.
“Let me remind you that if the Electoral Act does not supersede or overcome Nigeria’s constitution. Under Nigerian law, certificate forgery is still a criminal activity.
“The Electoral Act does not abolish forgery, whether certificate forgery or other kinds of forgery, as a crime under Nigerian law. It doesn’t.”
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