Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the resignation of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, describing it as an “attempt to whitewash yet another scandal.”
Nnaji resigned on Tuesday following a Premium Times investigation alleging that he submitted forged academic and NYSC certificates during his 2023 ministerial screening. Both the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the National Youth Service Corps reportedly disowned the documents.
Reacting on Wednesday via X, Atiku said Nnaji should have been dismissed and prosecuted rather than being allowed to “quietly exit through the backdoor.” He described the resignation as evidence of a “deep moral crisis” within the current administration.
“Uche Nnaji should not have been allowed the courtesy of resignation. He should have been summarily dismissed and prosecuted for deceit and falsification,” Atiku stated, accusing the government of being “an assembly of forgers, impostors, and morally bankrupt individuals masquerading as public servants.”
The 2023 PDP presidential candidate also criticised the Department of State Services, alleging that the same agency that disqualified former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai over security concerns had cleared Nnaji despite discrepancies in his credentials.
Atiku further called for an independent investigation into the credentials of all members of the Federal Executive Council, including the President, insisting that Nigerians deserve transparency about those in public office.
“Until this cleansing is done, Nigeria will continue to sink deeper into moral decay, economic ruin, and global embarrassment,” he said.
As of press time, neither the Presidency nor the DSS had responded to Atiku’s allegations.
