The Chartered Institute of Forensics and Certified Fraud Investigators of Nigeria (CIFCFIN) has lamented the embarrassment and dishonour brought to Nigeria by political party candidates who submit forged election certificates.

This was announced by the institute along with the news that it has teamed up with the Interparty Advisory Council (IPAC) to make sure candidates running for office across party lines have legitimate qualifications.

Prior to the primary elections, it also promised to use state-of-the-art forensic tools to verify and examine candidates' credentials.

Since 1999, there has been a rise in certificate fabrication controversies involving party candidates in Nigeria, which resulted in the removal of a governor-elect and the speaker of the House of Representatives.

But at the seventh direct membership graduation ceremony and fellowship award of the institute recently at EFCC Academy, Abuja, the president of CIFCFIN, Dr. Iliyasu Gashinbaki, said that the situation will no longer exist.

He declared,that the Institute has made the decision to address the issue of fake credentials, which has brought great embarrassment to our nation, once and for all.

In addition, Gashinbaki revealed that the Institute recently highlighted forensic and fraud investigative techniques essential to managing and maintaining Nigeria's identity management system in order to block and prevent fraudulent activities like identity theft and data breaches and guarantee that the identity management system is dependable and safe. This was done during a courtesy visit to the Minister of Internal Affairs.

According to the president, the partnership would strengthen the legitimacy of identity management and repair Nigeria's reputation abroad, both of which are critical for a number of socioeconomic activities including banking, voting, and obtaining public services.