Atiku Abubakar sues President Tinubu over alleged certificate forgery

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking the disqualification of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from the 2027 presidential election. The legal action, which also names the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants, is based on allegations that Tinubu submitted a forged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate.

In an affidavit deposed by Atiku, it is alleged that the certificate submitted to INEC bears the name ‘Tinubu Bola Adekunle’ rather than the President’s actual name, ‘Bola Ahmed Tinubu.’ The suit invokes Section 137(1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution, which stipulates that a person is not qualified for election as President if they have presented a forged certificate to INEC.

Atiku is requesting the court to determine Tinubu's eligibility and to compel INEC to produce the President's Form CF001 submitted for both the 2023 and 2027 elections. Atiku stated that he personally appeared at the court registry because the matter concerns the integrity of the presidency and the heart of the Constitution. Additionally, a petition regarding the alleged forgery has been submitted to the European Commission in Brussels.