The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered that President Bola Tinubu be served within seven days with a suit seeking to disqualify him from the 2027 presidential election.
Justice Inyang Ekwo approved substituted service through the All Progressives Congress (APC) following a motion moved by Atiku’s lawyer, Mr. Olanrewaju Omotayo-Ojo.
The legal action, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1888/2026, was filed by former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, alongside his party, listing President Tinubu, the APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants.
Atiku alleges in a 25-paragraph affidavit that President Tinubu submitted a forged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate bearing the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle” to the electoral commission.
The plaintiffs contend that the certificate belongs to someone else and was initially presented when Tinubu contested the Lagos State governorship election in 1999.
They are asking the court to determine whether the President breached constitutional provisions regarding false information and forged credentials, and to issue an order barring him and the APC from participating in the upcoming 2027 polls.
Meanwhile, INEC has already filed processes urging the court to dismiss the suit for lack of competence.
The legal battle has also sparked an unexpected tussle among the defence counsel, as two legal heavyweights—Chief Akin Olujinmi, SAN, and Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN—have separately filed processes on behalf of President Tinubu.
Both Senior Advocates are challenging the competence of the suit, Atiku’s legal standing to question the credentials, and arguing that the matter is statute-barred under the electoral laws.
In a letter addressed to the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court, Chief Olanipekun stated that he was formally briefed to lead the President’s defense team.
He noted that despite widespread media reports regarding the suit, the President had not been officially served with the originating processes.
Olanipekun criticized the plaintiffs’ previous objection when a member of Tinubu’s legal team attempted to collect the court documents during an earlier court appearance, emphasizing the President’s commitment to ensuring a fair hearing and transparency.
In response to procedural observations, the plaintiffs have applied for court permission to amend their filings.
Specifically, they seek to correct an error in the documentation referencing the INEC form where the disputed certificate was allegedly attached, updating it from Form CF001 to Form EC9.
With the court granting the order for substituted service, full-blown hearings on the substantive suit are slated to proceed.
