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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially cleared Geoffrey Nnaji, the former Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, to enter the gubernatorial race for Enugu State ahead of the 2027 elections.
Nnaji stepped down from his ministerial cabinet post following an investigative probe by Premium Times. The investigation revealed allegations that he tendered falsified higher institution credentials and a forged NYSC discharge certificate to President Bola Tinubu and the Senate during his ministerial screening in 2023.
According to the investigative findings, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) disowned the degree certificate submitted by Nnaji. The institution clarified that while he gained admission in 1981, he never completed his academic program and was never awarded a degree.
The findings further highlighted that Nnaji acknowledged in a sworn court affidavit that the university never awarded him a degree certificate and that he had “never collected one.”
On the official candidate roster published by the electoral body on Saturday night, Nnaji’s name appears at entry number 13.
The document, authorized by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony, indicates that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship flagbearer excluded the disputed university degree from his submission, relying solely on his WAEC credentials.
Prior to his political clearance, operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) arrested Nnaji at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on July 1, 2026.
The anti-graft agency stated that his arrest was executed after he repeatedly failed to honor official administrative invitations.
He was subsequently charged before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik at the Federal High Court in Abuja on counts related to document forgery, official misconduct, and money laundering.
Nnaji entered a not-guilty plea to all counts and was admitted to bail set at ₦20 million with a single surety.
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