In a reprehensible act of political thuggery and unbridled hypocrisy, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State—clinging to his PDP ticket while secretly plotting a defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for a 2027 reelection bid—has unleashed a manufactured certificate forgery scandal against the Honourable Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji.
This orchestrated witch-hunt, funneled through his loyal stooge, the newly installed Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Professor Simon U. Ortuanya, is a blatant attempt to eliminate a formidable rival and clear Mbah’s path to the APC governorship ticket. It is a disgraceful abuse of power that demands outright condemnation and swift intervention.
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Mbah’s audacity knows no bounds. This is the same governor who barely survived his own certificate forgery storm during the 2023 elections, where the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) publicly disavowed his purported discharge certificate, branding it a fake amid cries of electoral fraud.
Courts may have dubiously cleared him, but the stench of that scandal lingers, exposing Mbah as a master of deceit. Now, he hypocritically turns the tables on Nnaji, a dedicated APC stalwart whose only offense is positioning himself as a strong contender for the Enugu governorship in 2027 under the APC banner.
Mbah’s impending defection—widely reported as imminent, driven by PDP’s internal collapse and his desire to cozy up to federal power for reelection—faces a massive stumbling block in Nnaji, who has boldly declared APC’s intent to seize Enugu from PDP’s grip.
By fabricating this forgery narrative, Mbah aims to force Nnaji’s sack, neutralizing a rival and paving his treacherous crossover.
Enter Professor Simon U. Ortuanya, former Secretary to the Enugu State Government, whose appointment as UNN’s VC in August 2025 was no coincidence but a calculated reward for loyalty.
Ortuanya, in his inaugural speech, shamelessly praised Mbah’s “doggedness,” revealing the strings attached to his position. Under his watch, UNN has conveniently “discovered” discrepancies in Nnaji’s 1985 degree records, claiming no evidence of graduation or certificate issuance—despite Nnaji’s clear explanation of bureaucratic delays in collection.
Nnaji’s graduating class albumThis is not academic diligence; it is sponsored sabotage, transforming a prestigious federal university into a partisan weapon. Ortuanya has sullied his scholarly credentials, prostituting UNN’s integrity for Mbah’s political gains ahead of 2027.
This scandal is patently manufactured, a desperate ploy to destabilize Nnaji, whose ministerial role is propelling Nigeria’s innovation agenda forward with international partnerships and technological advancements. Mbah’s envy-fueled campaign threatens national progress for petty state-level ambition, all while he schemes to jump ship to APC, exploiting President Tinubu’s administration for personal survival.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, architect of Renewed Hope, must not fall for this charade. Mbah’s antics are a direct assault on your party’s unity and merit-based governance. Investigate this conspiracy immediately, shield Minister Nnaji from these baseless attacks, and reject Mbah’s opportunistic defection. Allowing such manipulation would embolden political vampires and undermine APC’s 2027 prospects.
To right-thinking Nigerians—journalists, activists, and citizens alike—do not be hoodwinked by Mbah and Ortuanya’s deceitful theater. This is classic Nigerian godfatherism: a failing PDP governor weaponizing state resources and a captured university to crush competition. Demand accountability, expose the hypocrisy, and rally behind truth. Enugu and Nigeria deserve leaders of integrity, not schemers like Mbah who forge scandals to forge their futures. The 2027 elections must be won on merit, not malice—let this shameful plot crumble under the weight of justice.
This is clearly a disturbing display of abuse of power, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State and the newly installed Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Professor Simon U. Ortuanya, have launched a baseless, politically motivated campaign to malign and discredit the Honourable Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Uche Nnaji, through spurious allegations of certificate forgery.
This shameful conspiracy is not only a disgrace to democratic principles and academic integrity, but it also reflects the growing rot in Enugu State’s leadership—a rot that threatens to drag one of Nigeria’s most respected federal universities into the mud of partisan politics.
At the heart of this malicious campaign is a desperate attempt by Governor Mbah and his political cronies to neutralize perceived threats and opposition voices by weaponizing falsehood and state institutions. That Professor Simon Ortuanya—barely warmed into his seat as Vice Chancellor—has allowed himself and the hallowed institution of UNN to be used as a political attack dog raises serious questions about his character, independence, and suitability for the office he holds.
Let it be stated clearly: Uche Nnaji is a respected technocrat and politician who has contributed immensely to the development of Enugu State and Nigeria at large. His track record, both in public service and private enterprise, speaks volumes—far louder than the whispers of envy and propaganda echoing from the corridors of Enugu’s Government House.
It is an insult to the intelligence of right-thinking Nigerians that Governor Mbah—a man who himself has faced intense public scrutiny over allegations surrounding his own academic records—would now turn around to sponsor a witch-hunt against another son of the state. The hypocrisy is staggering, the motives are transparent, and the outcome is bound to fail.
Let us be clear: this is not about truth, justice, or accountability. This is about political vendetta, executed with reckless disregard for truth and decency. It is about silencing credible leaders who refuse to kneel before the godfathers of Enugu politics. It is about consolidating power by any means necessary—even if that means dragging the name of a federal minister through the gutter of manufactured scandal.