The embattled Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Geoffrey Uche Nnaji, has accused Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah, of masterminding allegations of certificate forgery leveled against him.

Speaking through his spokesperson Dr. Robert Ngwu, the minister described the allegation as a politically motivated witch-hunt aimed at discrediting him ahead of the governor’s alleged plan to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Mbah wants Nnaji out of his way. He has given a new name to all his problems. He is seeking a second term in office, and the only way to achieve this is to get Nnaji out of the way. He wants to join APC, but knowing that Nnaji is there, he is not comfortable,” Ngwu alleged.

An online news medium had earlier reported that Nnaji forged the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) certificate he submitted to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly during his ministerial screening.

Reacting, the minister urged the UNN authorities to uphold their integrity and resist political manipulation by reaffirming the authenticity of their official records.

“This is not just about one man’s academic record; it is about protecting truth, preserving institutional honour, and ensuring that no university in Nigeria becomes a pawn in partisan politics,” he stated.

Ngwu maintained that Nnaji graduated from UNN in July 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology/Biochemistry, a fact reflected in the university’s official records and its 1985 convocation brochure.

He cited a letter issued by the university on December 21, 2023, during Nnaji’s ministerial screening, confirming that “Mr. Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, with registration number 1981/30725, was admitted in 1981 to study Microbiology/Biochemistry and graduated in July, 1985, with a Bachelor of Science, Second Class (Honours) Lower Division.”

According to Ngwu, the letter remains the only authentic communication from UNN on the matter.

He, however, alleged that another letter surfaced in May 2025, purportedly from the university, claiming that there were no records of Nnaji’s graduation — a development he attributed to political interference.

He further accused the Vice Chancellor of UNN of being a card-carrying member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) allegedly acting on the governor’s instruction to tarnish the minister’s image.

Ngwu also disclosed that the Minister had approached the court when he got wind of attempts to tamper with his academic file.

He said that on September 22, the court granted an injunction restraining the university’s management from altering his records and issued an order of mandamus compelling the release of his academic transcript — which, according to him, the school has refused to obey.

“Rather than adhering to the valid court order, the Vice Chancellor, a lawyer by profession, resorted to cyberbullying and politically motivated media trial against the Minister,” Ngwu said.

He added that the entire episode was politically driven: “It is increasingly clear that this entire issue is not about education or integrity but about political desperation disguised as academic inquiry.

“The timing, the sources, the false documents, and the paid narratives all point to a coordinated campaign to drag a reputable public servant into the mud of partisan politics.”

Members of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) have threaten to cripple legislative activities of the National Assembly if their demands are not addressed.

The union members are protesting what they describe as the National Assembly management’s neglect of their welfare demands as well as intimidation and harassment of union activists.

​Beyond financial grievances, the union members accuse the National Assembly management of intimidation and harassment aimed at stifling union activities.

They are demanding a rule-driven unionism anchored on the provisions of the PASAN Constitution, 2015, citing several provisions mandating the executive officers to be financially transparent, including preparing annual budgets and circulating audited accounts.

The management, while acknowledging the protest notice, has occasionally attempted to deflect the grievances, claiming that the agitation is driven by “internal union-related issues” or attempts to disband the local PASAN chapter.

However, the workers maintain that their action is protected under the Nigerian Constitution and the Trade Union Act.

​This repeated standoff over welfare, which has historically led to the shutdown of legislative operations and threatened to disrupt critical legislative activities such as budget defense sessions, underscores the deep-seated labor concerns within the National Assembly bureaucracy.

The Obidient Movement on Friday called on President Bola Tinubu, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, the Department of State Services, DSS, and other security agencies to arrest and prosecute the Lagos State Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Adekunle Mustapha aka Sego.

It said Sego should be arrested and prosecuted for threatening to kill anybody who votes against the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos State in 2027.

Reacting to a video showing Sego issuing the threat, the movement said Sego’s action is parts of desperate attempts engineered by the APC because the party does not have the voting strength nor popular support to win free and fair elections in Lagos State.

The statement signed by the Movement’s National Coordinator, Tanko Yunusa, read: “The attention of the Obidient Movement has been drawn to comments, well captured on video, by the Lagos State Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers Adekunle Mustapha aka Sego.

“In summary, the said Sego, who masquerades as a Labour Union leader, threatened to kill anyone who votes against the APC in Lagos, during the next elections, scheduled for 2027.

“The Obidient Movement recalls with grief and sadness, the violence unleashed by this same NURTW members and other thugs, during the 2023 elections, on Nigerian voters in Lagos, particularly members of the Obidient Movement and supporters of Mr Peter Obi and the Labour Party, resulting in the recorded killing and maiming of so many.

“There is no doubt whatsoever that these threats and acts of murder and brigandage are desperate attempts engineered by the APC, realizing that they do not have the voting strength nor popular support to win any elections, free and fair in Lagos, as with generally across the country, having failed to deliver good governance arising from their questionable mandate in the 2023 elections.

“Over the years, actions of murder, thuggery, political violence, extortion and other criminal acts have continued to be associated and even accepted as part of the operation of the NURTW in Lagos.

“We are by this statement calling the attention of President Bola Tinubu, who bears statutory and historical responsibility for this development, the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Police, DSS, Military and all other security agencies to immediately effect the arrest, detention and prosecution of this NURTW Chairman, and all others who have been long involved in the perpetration of these threats, murders and politically related criminal acts.”

Yunusa also called the attention of the international community to Sego’s threats.

“We are also putting the International Community on notice, of these crimes against humanity and threats to peace in Nigeria, and those legally responsible, by their actions and inactions,” he added.