Yoruba Ronu tackles NASS over exclusion of certificate forgery in Electoral Act

By Dapo Akinrefon

LAGOS —A group, Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum, yesterday, faulted the National Assembly over the exclusion of certificate forgery and qualification issues as grounds for election petitions in the Electoral Act 2026 (as amended).

The group also urged the Federal Government to make public the full details of the law, rather than releasing it piecemeal, since it was signed.

President of the forum, Akin Malaolu, condemned Section 138(1) of the amended Act, which provides that an election may only be questioned on two grounds: whether it was invalid by reason of corrupt practices or non-compliance with the provisions of the Act, or that the respondent was not duly elected by a majority of lawful votes cast.

He noted that subsection (3) further prescribes penalties of not less than N5 million for counsel and N10 million for petitioners who file cases outside the stipulated grounds.

According to the group, the omission of “qualification,” including allegations of certificate forgery, marks a significant departure from previous electoral frameworks where such issues were recognised as valid grounds for election petitions.

He said: “Our members have been inundating us as leaders to take a clear position on whether this development is appropriate or not.

“We have reflected deeply on these provisions and undertaken a critical introspection of the quality of leadership in the present National Assembly, particularly its apparent failure to consider the implications of clauses that appear sympathetic to forgery.”

“Any government that appears to defend forgery risks encouraging fraud, false declarations, and misrepresentation within the educational system, thereby eroding societal values.

“Fraud and forgery are not taught in schools, but they thrive when society fails to uphold standards that discourage them.

“We must resist any attempt to diminish our legal and moral standards. These are our considered positions.”

He also warned that Nigeria’s democratic and institutional framework could be undermined if urgent steps are not taken to address the perceived gaps in the law.

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