Civil society organisation kicks against Nnaji’s clearance

A civil society organization, The Defence for Democracy, has criticized the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for clearing former minister of Science and Technology, Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, to contest the primaries for the forthcoming governorship elections in Enugu State despite being under investigation over alleged forged credentials.

Nnaji resigned from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s cabinet over allegations of forgery and is currently being investigated by relevant authorities.

In a statement issued by the National President of the organisation Dr. Emeka Nwachukwu, and made available to journalists, the organisation questioned the integrity of the entire screening and accused the party of working in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The organisation said the APC will have sufficient grounds to fast-track accelerated hearing of the forgery case and eventually upturn any victory in the name of the former minister should he win.

The group stressed that “leadership must be built on trust, integrity, and credibility. The people of Enugu State deserve leaders whose records can withstand public scrutiny without fear or controversy.”

The organisation emphasized that while the allegations are not yet proven before a competent court of law, the PDP has a moral responsibility to raise the red flag on 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.

“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.

“From our findings there are people who represent a great future, and as an organization, we stand for good governance, and when our findings throw up people of impeccable character, we naturally step in to ensure that they excel.

“We therefore find it strange that people can move from controversy to ambition without addressing the questions hanging over their names.”

The organisation called on the aspirant to immediately clear his name before throwing himself into the race, stressing that the allegations and public reports surrounding his academic credentials are too weighty to be ignored.

The organisation called on the National Secretariat of the PDP to immediately intervene and save the party the embarrassment, stressing that “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.”