Breaking: Court Issues Fresh Order Over Move to Stop Tinubu from Contesting 2027 Election
- A Federal High Court in Abuja ordered that President Bola Tinubu be served within seven days in a suit filed by Atiku Abubakar
- Atiku alleged in a 25-paragraph affidavit that Tinubu submitted a bogus NYSC discharge certificate to INEC bearing the name Tinubu Bola Adekunle
- Two senior lawyers, Chief Akin Olujinmi SAN and Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, have separately filed processes claiming to represent Tinubu in the matter
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A Federal High Court in Abuja has directed that President Bola Tinubu be served within seven days with court processes in a lawsuit that seeks to bar him from running in the 2027 presidential election over alleged certificate forgery.
Justice Inyang Ekwo issued the order on Wednesday, approving that service be carried out through the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tinubu's political party, after hearing an application brought by Atiku Abubakar's lawyer, Mr. Olanrewaju Omotayo-Ojo, who stood in for the lead counsel, Mr. Silas Onu.
Source: Twitter
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1888/2026, was filed by former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, with the ADC listed as the second plaintiff. Tinubu, the APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are listed as the first to third defendants respectively.
What Atiku alleged in his affidavit
In a 25-paragraph affidavit he personally deposed to, Atiku claimed that Tinubu submitted a fraudulent National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate to INEC when seeking qualification for the presidency. The affidavit drew the court's attention to the fact that the NYSC certificate bore the name "Tinubu Bola Adekunle."
"I know that the NYSC certificate is clearly not one obtained by the 1st defendant, as it belongs to one Adekunle. The said NYSC certificate, bearing the name Tinubu Bola Adekunle, is herein attached and marked as Exhibit P2. I know that the said NYSC certificate is still in existence and in the custody of the 3rd defendant (INEC), and that it is a forgery, as the 1st defendant's name is not Adekunle, and yet he submitted it to the 3rd defendant to be acted upon as genuine," Atiku averred.
He told the court that Tinubu had been using the same certificate since 1999, when he first ran for governor of Lagos State. Among the reliefs sought is an order disqualifying Tinubu and the APC from taking part in the 2027 presidential election, This Day reported.
The plaintiffs also applied to amend the suit, correcting the name of the INEC form in question from Form CF001 to Form EC9.
Legal battle over who represents Tinubu
The case has thrown up an unusual dispute: two Senior Advocates of Nigeria appear to be competing to represent the president. Chief Akin Olujinmi, SAN, a former Attorney General of the Federation, and Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, a former Nigerian Bar Association president, have each filed separate processes on Tinubu's behalf challenging the competence of the suit, Vanguard reported.
Both lawyers argued that Atiku lacks the legal standing to question credentials Tinubu submitted to INEC, citing Section 29(5) of the Electoral Act 2026. Olujinmi further argued the case is statute-barred, since the 14-day window allowed for such litigation had expired. Olanipekun described the suit as an abuse of court process.
In a September 10 letter to the Deputy Chief Registrar, Olanipekun said his team had been briefed to lead Tinubu's defence but that the president had not been served with originating processes to that date. INEC has also filed processes urging the court to dismiss the suit on grounds of competence. Full hearing of the case is scheduled to begin on September 28.
Court sacks APC senator
Previously, Legit.ng reported that a Federal High Court in Gusau nullified the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election held for the Zamfara North Senatorial District and directed the party to organise a fresh exercise within 14 days.
Justice Hassan Dikko delivered the ruling on Monday, August 31, 2026, following roughly two hours of proceedings, during which he considered written addresses and arguments adopted by lawyers on both sides of the case.
Source: Legit.ng
