Uche Nnaji, the immediate past minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, has emerged as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State for the 2027 general election.
Nnaji, who resigned from the Federal Executive Council following allegations that he forged the academic and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) credentials submitted during his ministerial screening and confirmation, secured 7,424 votes in the party’s primary election.
He defeated Samson Nnamani, who polled 600 votes in the exercise conducted across the 17 local government areas of Enugu State.
President Bola Tinubu had appointed Nnaji as minister in August 2023 before accepting his resignation amid the certificate controversy in October 2025.
Austin Nwachukwu, chairman of the PDP governorship primary committee, described the election as peaceful and in compliance with the Electoral Act and the party’s guidelines.
According to him, the committee encountered security blockades at the party secretariat upon arrival in Enugu but proceeded with the exercise in collaboration with the state working committee.
“We are satisfied with the process. What our people demonstrated shows that Enugu remains a PDP state, and we are committed to restoring the party’s strength ahead of the election,” he said.
The committee stated that Nnaji won in all 17 local government areas of the state.
His emergence comes amid growing concerns by legal practitioners and civil society groups over provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, which no longer lists qualification issues such as certificate forgery among the grounds for challenging election outcomes at tribunals.
Under Section 138 of the new law, elections may only be questioned on grounds of corrupt practices, non-compliance with the Electoral Act, or that the declared winner was not duly elected by majority of lawful votes cast.
The development has sparked criticism from some senior lawyers, including Jibrin Okutepa, who recently warned that the exclusion of certificate forgery from election petition grounds could weaken accountability in the political process.
Okutepa had argued that the provision may conflict with sections of the 1999 Constitution which disqualify candidates who present forged certificates for elective offices.
Despite the controversy surrounding his resignation from the cabinet, Nnaji’s victory in the PDP primary means any legal challenge relating to alleged certificate forgery may now be restricted to pre-election litigation rather than post-election petitions if he eventually contests and wins the governorship election.
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