Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has sued President Bola Tinubu at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking his disqualification from the 2027 presidential election over an alleged forged National Youth Service Corps certificate.
The suit was filed on Friday by Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress. He is asking the court to determine whether Tinubu is qualified to contest the next presidential election under the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2026.
Atiku personally appeared at the court registry in Abuja to depose to an affidavit supporting the case, which also names the All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission as defendants.At the centre of the case is an NYSC discharge certificate that Atiku alleges was submitted to INEC by Tinubu.
According to the former vice-president, the certificate carries the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle” instead of President Tinubu’s name, “Bola Ahmed Tinubu.” He further alleged that the certificate was not obtained by Tinubu.
Atiku is asking the court to determine whether the alleged submission of the document violates constitutional provisions governing eligibility for the presidency.
The suit relies on Section 137(1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution, which provides that a person is not qualified for election as president if they have presented a forged certificate to INEC.
Atiku is also asking the court to compel INEC to produce Tinubu’s Form CF001 submitted for the 2023 and 2027 presidential elections.The former vice-president said he had previously requested certified true copies of the relevant documents from INEC but had not received them before filing the case.
The legal action comes as political parties and potential presidential candidates begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 election.In a separate development on Friday, an ADC chieftain and legal counsel, Kalu Agu, submitted a petition against Tinubu to the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium.
The petition also centres on the allegation that Tinubu submitted a forged certificate to INEC.The two actions are separate but focus on the same underlying allegation concerning the president’s electoral documents.
The allegations remain claims before the courts and have not been established as facts. Tinubu has not been disqualified from the 2027 election as a result of the suit.
The case now places the disputed certificate and Tinubu’s electoral documents before the Federal High Court, where the court will determine the legal questions raised by Atiku and the ADC.
The outcome could have significant implications for the 2027 presidential race if the court finds that the allegations meet the constitutional threshold for disqualification.
