Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has sued President Bola Tinubu over alleged forgery of his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate.
In a suit filed at the federal high court in Abuja on Friday, Atiku is seeking Tinubu’s disqualification from the 2027 presidential election.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the ADC, filed the suit alongside the party. The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are joined as defendants.
Atiku also personally appeared at the court registry to depose to an affidavit in support of the suit, saying the case concerned the constitutional requirements for occupying the office of president.
The plaintiffs are challenging Tinubu’s eligibility under provisions of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and the Electoral Act, 2026.
At the centre of their case is section 137(1)(j) of the constitution, which provides that a person is not qualified for election as president if they have presented a forged certificate to INEC.
According to the affidavit, the NYSC certificate submitted to INEC bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle”, which the plaintiffs contend is different from Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the president’s name.
Atiku and the ADC are asking the court to determine whether Tinubu and the APC should be disqualified from participating in the 2027 presidential election if the allegations are established.
They are also asking INEC to produce Tinubu’s Form CF001 submitted for the 2023 and 2027 presidential elections.
The plaintiffs said Atiku had earlier applied for certified true copies of the relevant documents but had not received a response by the time the suit was prepared.
Speaking after deposing to the affidavit, Atiku said he personally appeared at the registry because of the constitutional implications of the case.
“I came here personally because the issues before the court go to the heart of our constitution and the integrity of the office of president,” Atiku said.
“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.”
The suit also challenges provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, which the plaintiffs argue restrict the ability to challenge a candidate’s qualification at the pre-election stage.
They contend that an act of the national assembly cannot override an express provision of the constitution and are asking the court to determine whether the statutory restrictions can prevent them from relying on section 137(1)(j).
The plaintiffs are consequently seeking an order disqualifying Tinubu and the APC from participating in the 2027 presidential election on the grounds set out in the suit.
Atiku said the matter should be resolved through the courts and not political arguments or public speculation.
“We are not asking Nigerians to decide this matter on social media, and we are not asking INEC to become a court,” he said.
“We are asking the institution holding the records to produce them and the judiciary to examine the evidence and pronounce on it.”
Counsel to the plaintiffs, Edwin Inegedu, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and Joseph Onu Silas, said they were confident in the case after reviewing the relevant constitutional and electoral provisions.
Silas said the suit also presented an opportunity for the courts to further clarify Nigeria’s electoral jurisprudence.
“We are confident that justice will prevail. This case presents an important opportunity to further develop Nigeria’s electoral jurisprudence,” he added.
