Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has asked the court to disqualify President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from contesting the 2027 presidential election over allegations surrounding an allegedly forged National Youth Service Corps certificate.
Atiku appeared personally in court on Friday to swear to an affidavit in support of the suit filed against Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The case is anchored on Sections 137(1)(j), 139(1)(a)(i) and 285(14)(c) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, alongside relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
A major point in the suit is Section 137(1)(j), which states that a person is not qualified to be elected president if the person has presented a forged certificate to INEC.
Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, and the party are asking the court to determine whether Tinubu should be barred from participating in the 2027 presidential election over the alleged submission of a forged NYSC certificate.
According to the affidavit filed by Atiku, the NYSC discharge certificate allegedly submitted to INEC carries the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle” instead of the President’s name, “Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
The plaintiffs also allege that Tinubu did not obtain the certificate in question. They further claim that the same document was submitted to INEC in connection with his bid to contest the 2027 presidential election.
The suit is therefore asking the court to examine the allegations and determine whether the circumstances surrounding the certificate amount to a constitutional ground for Tinubu’s disqualification from the forthcoming presidential contest.
