ADC’s Ladan Salihu alleges National Assembly removed certificate forgery from Electoral Act 2026 to benefit APC ahead of 2027 elections

Ladan Salihu has alleged that the National Assembly removed provisions on certificate forgery from the Electoral Act 2026 to influence the political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Speaking on The Morning Show on Arise Television, Salihu claimed the removal was linked to political calculations favoring the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress during the last election.

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He argued that the National Assembly is heavily influenced by the executive branch, suggesting lawmakers often act as “willing tools” of the government.

“Nothing will justify that. How do you delete the issue of forgery from the Electoral Act? It is simply because of their own presidential candidate in the last elections. This clears the ground for such issues not to come up in courts in future elections,” Salihu said.

In response, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, clarified that the Electoral Act does not override the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He stressed that certificate forgery remains a criminal offence under Nigerian law, and the change in the Electoral Act does not legalize or abolish it.

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“Under Nigerian law, certificate forgery is still a criminal activity. The Electoral Act does not abolish forgery, whether certificate forgery or other kinds of forgery, as a crime,” Morka said.