The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has suggested that the ongoing controversy surrounding the academic records of former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Uche Nnaji, may have political undertones.

The group made the assertion on Tuesday at a press conference in Abuja where its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, called for transparency and neutrality in the handling of the matter.

According to HURIWA, recent clarifications by Nnaji’s Special Adviser, Robert Ngwu, indicate that public narratives suggesting that a federal government panel had already confirmed allegations of certificate forgery against the former minister were inaccurate.

Ngwu had reportedly explained that the investigative panel referenced in some media reports was not constituted to determine whether Nnaji forged a certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).

Rather, the aide said the panel was established following a petition submitted by the former minister to the Federal Ministry of Education concerning alleged misconduct by certain officials of the university.

HURIWA said the clarification was important because the panel had not yet released any official findings on the matter.

“In matters involving sensitive academic records and political figures, the credibility of the investigative process must be protected at all costs. Where questions arise about possible conflicts of interest, the appropriate institutional response is transparency and recusal,” Onwubiko said.

The group also noted that the dispute over Nnaji’s academic records is already before the Federal High Court of Nigeria, where the former minister is seeking an order compelling the university to release his academic transcript.

According to HURIWA, the document was reportedly requested by Nnaji from the institution in May 2025.

The rights group said the matter came up in court on February 26 before Justice Joseph Yilwa but proceedings could not continue due to procedural issues, including the absence of proof of service in the court file and the need for some respondents’ filings to be properly regularised.

HURIWA noted that the adjournment sought by counsel representing the university was not opposed by the former minister’s legal team from the chambers of Wole Olanipekun and Sebastine Hon.

Beyond the court proceedings, the organisation said the petition submitted by Nnaji to the education ministry contained allegations of intimidation, unlawful access to confidential student records and possible tampering with academic documents by certain officials of the university.

It also referenced claims that personal academic data may have been disclosed without authorisation, an action that could potentially conflict with provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Act and other public service regulations.

The group further cited reports that a document allegedly used to justify certain administrative actions within the university had been queried by the Public Complaints Commission, which reportedly indicated that the letter attributed to its office was fraudulent and that no complaint had been filed against the former minister.

While noting that the allegations and counter-allegations must ultimately be resolved by the court and relevant authorities, HURIWA said the broader political context surrounding the controversy could not be ignored.

The organisation described Nnaji as a prominent grassroots leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State and one of the early figures involved in building the party’s structure in the state.