You Only Need Secondary School Certificate to Hold Political Office – Shehu Sani

Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has stated that possessing a secondary school certificate is sufficient qualification for anyone seeking to contest elections or occupy political office in Nigeria.

Sani made the remark on Monday while reacting to the controversy surrounding the academic qualifications of Uche Nnaji, the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation.

An investigative report by Premium Times revealed that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) disowned the Bachelor of Science degree claimed by Nnaji, stating that the minister did not complete his studies and was never issued a certificate by the institution.

According to the report, court documents filed before Justice Hauwa Yilwa of the Federal High Court in Abuja confirmed that Nnaji himself admitted that the university did not issue him any degree certificate.

Nnaji had approached the court to compel the Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), and officials of UNN to release his academic transcript and other documents. The court granted three of his prayers but declined to issue an injunction against the defendants, adjourning the case to October 6, 2025, for further hearing.

Reacting to the development in a post via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Sani cautioned political office seekers against falsifying their educational qualifications.

He wrote, “All you need to contest elections or for political appointment is a secondary school certificate.
There is no way in the realm of politics one can claim any unearned qualifications without his or her political opponents digging into the matter.
Some troubles are unnecessarily self-inflicted.”

The former lawmaker’s statement comes amid renewed public scrutiny of politicians’ academic claims, a recurring issue in Nigeria’s political landscape.