Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking the disqualification of President Bola Tinubu from the 2027 presidential election over an alleged forged NYSC discharge certificate.
Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), personally appeared at the court registry on Friday to depose to an affidavit supporting the suit against Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to the suit, the disputed NYSC certificate allegedly bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle” instead of “Bola Ahmed Tinubu.” Atiku and the ADC are asking the court to determine the authenticity of the document and its implications for Tinubu’s eligibility to contest the 2027 election.
The plaintiffs are relying, among other provisions, on Section 137(1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution, which bars a person from being elected 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 stressed that the allegations had been brought before the judiciary rather than being debated on social media.
He said the case would ultimately determine whether the disputed certificate could legitimately be attributed to Tinubu and whether the alleged discrepancies amounted to grounds for disqualification.
Atiku and the ADC are further challenging provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 which they argue could restrict pre-election challenges to a presidential candidate’s qualification.
They contend that where an ordinary law conflicts with the Constitution, the Constitution should prevail.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to disqualify Tinubu and the APC from the 2027 presidential election if the allegations are established.
The case now places Tinubu’s alleged NYSC certificate, INEC’s electoral records and the legal limits surrounding presidential qualification at the centre of another major pre-election dispute.
Important: The allegations in the suit have not been judicially established. The court will have to determine the authenticity of the disputed document and the legal consequences, if any.
