Atiku Drags Tinubu to Court, Petitions EU Over Alleged Forged NYSC Certificate
By Victor Idajil
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to disqualify President Bola Tinubu from contesting the 2027 presidential election over allegations of a forged NYSC discharge certificate.
Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, personally went to the court registry in Abuja on Friday to swear an affidavit backing the suit. He named President Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress and INEC as defendants.
The case is anchored on Section 137(1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution, which disqualifies any candidate who presents a forged certificate to INEC. It also cites Sections 139(1)(a)(i) and 285(14)(c) of the Constitution, as well as relevant sections of the Electoral Act 2022.
Atiku and the ADC want the court to determine if Tinubu should be barred from the 2027 race based on the allegation that the NYSC certificate submitted to INEC is not genuine.
In his deposition, Atiku claimed the certificate in INEC’s records reads “Tinubu Bola Adekunle” instead of “Bola Ahmed Tinubu.” He alleged the document was not issued to Tinubu and that it was submitted again for the 2027 election.
The plaintiffs are also asking the court to order INEC to produce Tinubu’s Form CF001 for both the 2023 and 2027 elections. Atiku said he had previously applied for Certified True Copies of those documents from INEC but got no response.
Speaking on why he appeared in court himself, Atiku said the matter touches the core of Nigeria’s constitution.
“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. I have therefore put my name, my signature and my oath behind the facts we are presenting to the court. Now it is President Tinubu’s turn to answer them,” he said.
He insisted the dispute should be resolved with evidence, not on social media.
“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,” he added.
The suit seeks an order disqualifying Tinubu and the APC from the 2027 election if the forgery allegation is proven. Atiku argued that no one, not even a sitting president, should be above constitutional scrutiny.
Lawyers to the plaintiffs, Edwin Inegedu, SAN, and Joseph Onu Silas, said they are confident in their case.
The APC described the suit as a waste of time. National Secretary Ajibola Basiru said Tinubu is fully qualified and that the issue had already been settled by the Supreme Court.
“Atiku should go and brace for another defeat in the general election. The President is qualified to contest the election; there is nothing disqualifying him.
Atiku has nothing to offer Nigerians, and he knows that he will be rejected at the poll. That is why he is looking for a shortcut. But there’s no shortcut to power,” Basiru said.
On the same day, ADC chieftain and lawyer Kalu Agu submitted a petition to the European Commission in Brussels. He asked the EU to intervene, alleging a subversion of Nigeria’s constitutional order.
In a video shared by Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe, Agu alleged that Tinubu submitted false academic records to INEC and failed to list the primary and secondary schools he attended.
“This is in flagrant violation of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, particularly Section 137(1)(j), which says that if you have presented a forged certificate to INEC, you will not be qualified to run for election,” Agu said.
Presidential spokesman on Policy Communications, Daniel Bwala, dismissed the EU petition as a distraction tactic.
“The opposition is on a wild goose chase in Europe. They would do everything possible to distract and avoid answering the very one question: What would you do differently from this government?” Bwala posted on X on Friday.
