Senator Uche Ekwunife
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has raised strong objections over the eligibility of Senator Uche Ekwunife, the Deputy Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State, calling for her disqualification over an allegedly unrecognized academic qualification.
APGA claims that Ekwunife submitted a PhD certificate from Atlantic International University (AIU), located in the State of Hawaii, USA, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
However, the party argues that the institution is not accredited and should be considered a “degree mill” that awards certificates without academic merit.
In a statement shared by APGA’s National Publicity Secretary, Ejimofor Opara, the party said that Ekwunife’s submission of the PhD raises broader concerns about the authenticity of her other academic qualifications.
“Some of us believe, and wrongly so, that once a university is ‘abroad’ then it is legal and accredited. This erroneous thinking can be permissible amongst certain class of persons in society, not a person in the mould of Uche Ekwunife,” Opara stated.
He further accused the APC candidate of attempting to fraudulently bolster her credentials without undergoing the academic rigour typically required for a doctoral degree.
“Hers is willful and deliberate. She wants a PhD but is incapable of the intellectual rigour to earn it.”
APGA has now called on INEC to take a clear position on whether certificates from institutions that are not officially recognized should be accepted in Nigeria’s electoral process.
“Now, the question before INEC Nigeria as a body set up by law is – should certificates from unapproved and unaccredited schools be accepted for official purposes?” Opara asked.
The party also raised the issue of whether Ekwunife met the minimum qualifications required to run for office, and why she failed to submit more basic credentials such as a first degree.
“If Uche Ekwunife has the minimum qualification for the office she seeks, why submit, under oath, a certificate from a fake university? Does Uche Ekwunife actually possess an authentic first degree? If yes, where is it? Not submitting it raises lots of doubts, knowing it may be fake too.”
Calling for strict action, APGA emphasized the need for INEC to set an example to deter future candidates from presenting questionable credentials.
“It is important that Uche Ekwunife be used as an example to others brandishing fake higher certificates, as this trend, if unchecked, would make a mess of an already ailing system,” the statement concluded.
