2027: Court Gives Atiku Deadline To Serve Tinubu Suit Challenging His Certificates

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, has given the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, a 7-day ultimatum to serve the suit  seeking to stop President Bola Tinubu from contesting the 2027 presidential election over his alleged submission of forged certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Naija News reports that Justice Inyang Ekwo gave the order on Wednesday when he approved substituted service of the legal process on President Tinubu through his political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Atiku’s legal team, represented by Olanrewaju Omotayo-Ojo, who stood in for Silas Onu, said to be bereaved, had made the request for substituted service before Justice Ekwo.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1888/2026, was brought before the court by Atiku, with the ADC joined as the 2nd plaintiff, while President Tinubu, the APC, and INEC were listed as the 1st to 3rd defendants, respectively.

Naija News understands that, Atiku, in a 25-paragraph affidavit he personally deposed to in support of the suit, alleged that President Tinubu submitted a forged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate to INEC as part of credentials submitted to contest for the presidency.

According to the former Vice President, Tinubu gave false information about himself in the Form CF0001 he submitted to INEC, and drew the court’s attention to the fact that the NYSC certificate he submitted to the electoral body bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle.”

He alleged that the NYSC certificate does not belong to President Tinubu, but to one Adekunle.

“I know that the NYSC certificate is clearly not one obtained by the 1st defendant, as it belongs to one Adekunle.

“The said NYSC certificate, bearing the name Tinubu Bola Adekunle, is herein attached and marked as Exhibit P2.

“I know that the said NYSC certificate is still in existence and in the custody of the 3rd defendant (INEC), and that it is a forgery, as the 1st defendant’s name is not Adekunle, and yet he submitted it to the 3rd defendant to be acted upon as genuine,” Atiku argued.

He told the court that Tinubu had been parading the forged certificate since 1999, when he contested the Lagos State governorship election.

Atiku therefore urged the court, among others, to determine: “Whether, in view of the limitations in section 138(1)(a) & (b) of the Electoral Act, 2026, and section 285(14)(c) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended), the Plaintiffs will not be allowed to enforce the binding provision of section 137(1)(j) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended), which applies, mutatis mutandis, to all candidates aspiring to the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

As well as: “Whether the 1st and 2nd Defendants should be disqualified for presenting a forged NYSC certificate to the 3rd Defendant for the 2023 and 2027 Presidential Elections, in breach of section 137(1)(j) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended).”

Upon a positive determination of the legal questions, the plaintiffs sought a “declaration that the 1st Defendant presented a forged certificate to the 3rd Defendant when he contested for Governor of Lagos State in 1999, and thereby breached the provision of section 137(1)(j) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended).”

Likewise: “An order disqualifying the 1st and 2nd Defendants from participating in the 2027 Presidential Election, for presenting a forged certificate to the 3rd Defendant when the 1st Defendant contested for Governor of Lagos State in 1999.”

The court had earlier slated September 28 to commence full hearing of the case while INEC has also filed processes challenging the competence of the suit, and urged the court to dismiss the case in its entirety.