Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking the disqualification of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from the 2027 presidential election over an alleged forged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate.
The legal action was filed alongside the ADC and names Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants.
Atiku personally appeared at the Federal High Court registry in Abuja on Friday to depose to an affidavit in support of the suit.
The action is based on 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 centre of the suit is Section 137(1)(j) of the Constitution, which provides grounds relating to the presentation of a forged certificate to INEC.
Atiku and the ADC are asking the court to determine whether Tinubu is qualified to contest the 2027 presidential election in view of the allegation that a forged NYSC certificate was submitted to INEC in connection with his presidential candidacy.
According to Atiku’s affidavit, the disputed NYSC discharge certificate allegedly bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle”, instead of the President’s name, “Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
The plaintiffs further alleged that the certificate was not obtained by Tinubu and questioned its purported submission in connection with the 2027 presidential election.
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 commencing the legal action.
Explaining his decision to appear personally at the court registry, Atiku said the matter was too important to be treated 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 President.”
He added that he had attached his name, signature and oath to the facts presented before the court and that it was now for Tinubu to respond to the allegations.
Atiku stressed that the matter should be determined through evidence and judicial proceedings rather than political arguments or social media exchanges.
He said, “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.”
ADC Chieftain Petitions European Commission
Separately, a legal counsel and chieftain of the ADC, Kalu Agu, reportedly submitted a petition against Tinubu to the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium.
The petition reportedly concerns allegations that Tinubu submitted a forged certificate to INEC.
The two actions took place on Friday, with Atiku pursuing the matter through the Federal High Court while Agu submitted the separate petition to the European Commission.
The allegations contained in the suit and petition have not been established by the court. Tinubu and the other defendants will have an opportunity to respond to the claims as the legal process progresses.
Atiku also questioned whether the names appearing on the disputed NYSC certificate could legitimately be attributed to President Tinubu, making the authenticity and provenance of the document central issues in the case.
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