Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has dragged President Bola Tinubu before the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking his disqualification from the 2027 presidential election over an alleged forged National Youth Service Corps certificate.
This is as a legal counsel and chieftain of the ADC, Kalu Agu, submitted a petition against Tinubu to the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, for allegedly submitting a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The two actions came on Friday, with Atiku personally appearing at the Federal High Court registry in Abuja to depose to an affidavit supporting the suit filed against Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress, and INEC.
The suit invokes sections 137(1)(j), 139(1)(a)(i) and 285(14)(c) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
At the center of the case is Section 137(1)(j), which provides that a person shall not be qualified for election as president if he has presented a forged certificate to INEC.
Atiku and the ADC are asking the court to determine whether Tinubu should be disqualified from the 2027 presidential election over the allegation that he submitted a forged NYSC certificate in connection with his presidential candidacy.
According to Atiku’s affidavit, the NYSC discharge certificate allegedly submitted to INEC bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle” rather than the president’s name, “Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
The plaintiffs further alleged that the certificate was not obtained by Tinubu and that the same document was submitted in connection with the 2027 presidential election.
Atiku also wants INEC compelled to produce Tinubu’s Form CF001 submitted in connection with the 2023 and 2027 presidential elections.
The former vice president said he had previously sought certified true copies of the relevant documents from INEC but had not received them before commencing the action.
Explaining his decision to personally appear at the court registry, Atiku said the case was too important to be handled casually.
“I came here personally because the issues before the court go to the heart of our Constitution and the integrity of the office of the President.
“I have therefore put my name, my signature, and my oath behind the facts we are presenting to the court. Now it is President Tinubu’s turn to answer them,” he said.
Atiku said the case was not intended to be determined through political arguments or social media exchanges but through evidence presented before the judiciary.
“We are not asking Nigerians to decide this matter on social media, and we are not asking INEC to become a court.
“We are asking the institution holding the records to produce them and the judiciary to examine the evidence and pronounce on it,” the statement read in part.
The ADC presidential candidate also questioned whether the names appearing on the disputed certificate could legitimately be attributed to Tinubu.
