Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of running an administration “rooted in forgery, deceit and moral bankruptcy”.

In a statement on Wednesday, Atiku said the resignation of former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has exposed the “deep moral crisis” within the Tinubu administration.

He described Nnaji’s resignation as an attempt to “whitewash a national disgrace”, arguing that the former minister should have been dismissed and prosecuted for falsification instead of being allowed to “quietly exit through the back door”.

“What should ordinarily be a matter of national shame is now being disguised as a ‘voluntary resignation’, an attempt to whitewash yet another scandal that typifies the forgery-ridden character of this government,” Atiku said.

He accused the Department of State Services (DSS) of failing in its vetting duties, alleging that the same agency that disqualified Nasir El-Rufai over “security concerns” cleared Nnaji despite “glaring deceit”.

“The DSS truly deserves our flowers for this national disgrace. Their failure of due diligence has made Nigeria an object of ridicule before the world.

“The man who occupies the office of president has for decades been enmeshed in controversies surrounding his identity, age, and academic records.

From the Chicago State University saga to multiple contradictory claims under oath, the world has seen ample evidence that Nigeria today is led by a man who himself has been unable to credibly defend the authenticity of his own certificates,” he added.

Atiku said the culture of forgery and dishonesty in government flows directly from the top, alleging that Tinubu’s personal history has “institutionalised falsehood in public service”.

“When a man of questionable identity leads a country, deception becomes the standard of governance,” he said.

The former vice president called for an independent and transparent investigation into the academic and professional records of all cabinet members, starting with the president.

“Nigerians deserve to know the truth about those who preside over their lives and resources,” he said.