Atiku Raises Another Certificate Saga Against Tinubu
- Atiku Abubakar filed a fresh lawsuit seeking to disqualify President Bola Tinubu from the 2027 presidential race over an alleged NYSC certificate forgery
- The case came up for hearing on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, before Justice Inyang Ekwo at the Federal High Court in Abuja
- The hearing could not proceed because Atiku's lawyer said he had not yet successfully served Tinubu with the court summons
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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has taken a new certificate forgery case to the Federal High Court in Abuja, asking the court to disqualify President Bola Tinubu from contesting the 2027 presidential election.
The suit, which came up for its first hearing on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, is separate from the certificate-related challenge Atiku brought against Tinubu during the 2023 elections, which the courts dismissed. The current case centres on the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate that Tinubu submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as part of his documentation to run for president.
Source: Twitter
Atiku, who is also the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), claims the name on the NYSC certificate reads "Tinubu Bola Adekunle", which differs from the President's widely recognised official name, "Bola Ahmed Tinubu". He argues that submitting such a document amounts to a breach of sections 137, 139, and 285 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.
Why Atiku's case was adjourned
BBC Pidgin reported that despite September 1 being scheduled as the opening day of proceedings before Justice Inyang Ekwo, the hearing did not take place. Atiku's counsel, Joseph Onu, informed the court that the President had not yet been served with the court summons.
Onu said repeated personal attempts to hand the court documents to Tinubu had been unsuccessful. He also declined to serve the papers on Omosanya Popoola, the Senior Advocate representing Tinubu in the matter, on the grounds that Popoola had not produced written authorisation confirming that Tinubu gave him permission to accept service on his behalf. Onu asked the court to either order substituted service or have the President produce such a letter.
After arguments from both sides, Justice Ekwo adjourned the case to September 28 for continuation.
Why proper service matters
Legal practitioner and political analyst Okiki Adeniran explained that service is a foundational requirement in any court proceeding. Speaking in a television interview, he said: "Service on the President's lawyer is not proper service. The law and the rules of court say that when you cannot serve somebody personally, you can do so through another means, but it must be through an order of court."
Adeniran added that handing documents to Tinubu's legal team without authorisation would only amount to giving them an advance copy, which carries no legal weight as formal service. He said Atiku's lawyer appeared to be asking the court to authorise an alternative method of service, such as publication in national newspapers.
Atiku dismisses age concerns
Legit.ng earlier reported that Atiku Abubakar addressed questions about his age in a BBC Hausa interview published on Friday, pushing back against critics who raised concerns.
The ADC presidential candidate challenged the interviewer's premise by asking whether he appeared old enough to warrant the question.
Atiku also responded to claims that he had become a stumbling block to opposition coalition efforts ahead of the 2027 election.
Source: Legit.ng
