A 15-year-old dwarf teenager has been arrested in Nigeria. The teenage Mahmoud Sadis father is known locally as ‘Abin al-Abin Jazau’, which means the Wonder of Zaria. Last month, a video of All Progressives Congress (APP) candidate selection went viral on social media. What started as an inspiration for inclusive politics has now turned into a big fraud.
The father, Sabon Gari, a resident of Zaria, claimed in his screening video that he had a secondary school certificate and had previously worked as a driver. He said he was 30 years old, his height and childlike appearance accounted for his dwarfism. Addressing his party colleagues, he said that the fight is not for himself, but for the people and that he is contesting the election because the people have called him to serve. His blunt statement became the most talked about political commentary on social media in Nigeria.
Just as the public was discussing how this Zaria surprise would change Nigeria’s politics, the country’s dream of getting a seat in the National Assembly was suddenly dashed. In the viral video, the father tried to show that he was born on August 2, 1995, but his documents leaked on the Internet proved that he was born to a candidate who must be at least 25 years old to run for the Nigerian National Assembly elections, but age was not the only issue for the father. If he was born in 2010, he would only be considered a minor under Nigerian law and the International Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The father’s passport, National Identity Number slip, birth certificate and school documents published on the Internet suggest that he is only a teenager. Meanwhile, one of his former teachers also came before the media and confirmed that he used to teach the father in lower secondary school classes and that he was only 16 years old, thus making the controversy worse. Initially, Baba’s party, APP, defended him and claimed that it was a planned campaign against him, but after evidence mounted, the party disqualified him on charges of age fraud. After that, the father wrote to the APP Chairman and discussed with the party leaders and announced the withdrawal of candidature in the election.
In that letter, he said he has officially withdrawn his candidature from the House of Representatives race from Sabon Gari Federal Constituency. It was not an easy decision for him to take, but the advocacy efforts led by the party’s senior leaders and stakeholders helped him reach the decision quickly, he said. Many are currently wondering how a leading political party in Nigeria allowed a 15-year-old dwarf boy to pass the screening process and make him a rising political star in the country. Whether it was just the immaturity of the political party or there was a deliberate conspiracy behind it remains a mystery.