How a passport and a school teacher ruined the career of the world's youngest fake politician (6 photos)

Nigeria's political arena has seen its share of sophisticated election campaigns, but this candidate managed to outshine all the veterans of local corruption and nepotism.





The ruling APC party's parliamentary elections were rocked by an unprecedented scandal: an ambitious politician named Mahmud Sadis Buba, who confidently stormed the National Assembly, was disgraced. The young man successfully passed the party's primary selection process and gave interviews full force, assuring the electoral commission that he was already 30 years old—the minimum legal age to run for parliament.



The candidate authoritatively explained his suspiciously childish appearance, lack of stubble, and extremely short stature by claiming he was born with hereditary dwarfism, inherited from his grandfather. Nigerian officials and social media users long took this argument at his word, admiring his inclusiveness in politics and calling Buba the "Miracle of Zaria."





The grand house of cards collapsed overnight when a scan of his passport, issued in 2024, along with his school records, leaked online. The classified information was leaked by a family member, who posted the document for public viewing with the caption "my younger brother," thereby completely entangling the fake deputy.



The passport clearly stated his date of birth: August 27, 2010, meaning the "seasoned tribune" was actually only 15 or 16 years old. Furthermore, the young man was publicly identified by his former schoolteacher, who authoritatively told the press that this promising statesman was just yesterday sitting at a desk in high school. Well, yes, 15 years old is indeed too young.



Realizing that the massive exposure could no longer be stopped, the young genius of fraud urgently announced on social media that he was withdrawing from the elections. However, in his official statement on Facebook, the cunning teenager delicately ignored the issue of his passport and age, cleverly blaming it on "party reconciliation and the interests of unity."



If a 15-year-old schoolchild manages to outsmart the country's entire electoral system and the ruling party's leadership, then by the time they're 30, they have every chance of becoming, at the very least, a successful swindler.