Uche Ekwunife’s questionable doctorate could lead to the disqualification of Nicholas Ukachukwu

Granted, Section 177(d) of the 1999 Constitution requires the Senior School Certificate (SSC) – i.e. School Certificate – or its equivalent as minimum qualification for a candidate who wishes to run for the office of the governor. A gubernatorial candidate need not possess a university degree in Nigeria. But when a candidate decides to present a questionable higher degree from an unaccredited source – i.e. a degree mill – issues of credibility, dishonesty and character come into play. This seems to be the case of Senator Uche Ekwunife, the APC deputy gubernatorial candidate in the Anambra 2025 gubernatorial election.

In Senator Ekwunife’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) EC9 Form, she stated that she has a First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC), GCE and a doctorate (PhD) degree from Atlantic International University. (INEC Form EC9 is the “Affidavit in Support of Personal Particulars of Candidate” that every candidate seeking election in Nigeria is required to submit to INEC). There was no mention of Senator Ekwunife’s first degree or her master’s degree in her EC9 Form. Her principal, the gubernatorial candidate of the APC was smarter. Even though Nicholas Ukachukwu puts the appellation ‘’Dr’’ before his name, he only decided to present a GCE as his highest qualification in his INEC EC9. To be fair, though Mr. Ukachukwu failed English, Mathematics and Economics in the results he presented in his INEC Form EC9, according to the Constitution, he is qualified to run for office of the governor. But his academic result does not show he has the mental stamina to govern a state. Running a business is different from governing a state.

Senator Ekwunife stated that she obtained her PhD from Atlantic International University (AIU), which is located in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, according to the organization’s website. Senator Ekwunife’s AIU has been referred to as a degree mill by credible publications. (A degree mill is an institution which sells degrees with little or no academic rigor or oversight). AIU is not accredited by any U.S. recognized accrediting agency. It is not accredited in Nigeria. In 2015, the National University Commission (NUC) published its affiliate – Atlantic International University, Okija, Anambra State – as an illegal degree awarding institution in a long list of illegal institutions in Nigeria. The NUC stated that “Certificates obtained from these sources will not be recognized for the purpose of NYSC, employment and further studies”. Consequently, the NUC took legal actions against them. Degrees offered by AIU are not recognized in the UK. In Rwanda, the Rwanda Higher Education Council (HEC) refers to AIU as a degree mill. In Ghana, AIU degrees are listed as fraudulent.

Though AIU claims that it offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees via non-traditional/online/self-paced programs, in some US states, using AIU degrees comes with legal problems. AIU was prosecuted in Hawaii by the Office of Consumer Protection because it “fraudulently claimed to be an accredited institution in the U.S.’’. AIU has in the past claimed to be accredited by Ac­crediting Commission International (ACI) but ACI’s status as an unrecognized accreditor contributes to concerns about AIU’s legitimacy.

In 2024, the federal government commenced the sacking of workers with certificates from unaccredited private ‘institutions’ like AIU – especially from Benin Republic and Togo. Candidates who got appointments on the basis of degrees earned from AIU risk losing such appointments.

There are other fundamental issues with the certificate presented by Senator Ekwunife. Senator Ekwunife’s submission could infect Nicholas Ukachukwu’s candidature if tested in the courts. It could lead to Mr. Ukachukwu’s disqualification.

In 2019, APC’s David Lyon, governor-elect in the Bayelsa election, was sacked by the Supreme Court due to issues with his deputy’s credentials. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenged Degi-Eremienyo, the deputy governor-elect for submitting false/fraudulent information – which had discrepancies in names on his certificates – in his nomination/qualification forms submitted to INEC. The Apex court held that Degi-Eremienyo’s alleged false qualification infected the joint ticket (governor + deputy), making David Lyon’s nomination invalid. The court ordered INEC to withdraw the Certificate of Return from APC’s David Lyon and issued it to the runner-up. Presenting a degree not recognized in an official application could be regarded as illegal and this could impact Nicholas Ukachukwu’s candidature if contested in a court of law.

In some jurisdictions, owning an unaccredited degree might not be illegal, but presenting it as a valid document for a job interview, immigration or election screening can be deemed illegal. In the United States, for example, it is not automatically illegal to hold or even present a degree from an unaccredited school, but some US states like Oregon and Texas have strict laws that make the use of an unaccredited degree on a resume a fraud. In the UK, it is illegal to offer or advertise unaccredited degrees as if they were valid UK qualifications (see UK Fraud Act 2006). In Nigeria, under the National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions Act only degrees approved by the NUC are legitimate.

Section 182(1)(j) of the Constitution states that a candidate is disqualified if he has presented a forged certificate to INEC. However, in practice, an unaccredited degree may be treated like a fake one in disqualification cases, even though technically some might argue that it is different. Knowingly presenting a legally worthless degree as a certificate in any application could be construed as an intent to mislead, especially when a simple google search reveals that such a certificate was issued by fraudulent entities.

Though many could argue that paper qualifications are not the sole criteria for judging a candidate’s performance in a job but it is an important barometer. However, this point has to be made: those who choose to parade higher degrees should endeavor to obtain these degrees in an honest and professional manner. It does not pay to cut corners.

Nwankwo is the special adviser to Soludo on special projects.