Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to disqualify President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from contesting the 2027 presidential election, citing alleged discrepancies in an NYSC discharge certificate submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), personally visited the court registry in Abuja on Friday to depose to an affidavit supporting the suit against Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and INEC.
According to a statement by Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the suit is anchored on provisions of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and the Electoral Act, 2026.
At the centre of the case is Section 137(1)(j) of the Constitution, which disqualifies a presidential candidate who has presented a forged certificate to INEC.
Atiku and the ADC are asking the court to determine whether Tinubu and the APC should be barred from the 2027 election over allegations concerning an NYSC discharge certificate submitted in connection with the presidential election.
In his affidavit, Atiku alleged that the certificate bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle” rather than “Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
He further questioned the authenticity of the certificate and whether it was genuinely obtained by the President.
The plaintiffs have also asked INEC to produce Tinubu’s Form CF001 submitted for the 2023 and 2027 elections.
Atiku said he had requested certified true copies of relevant documents from INEC before filing the suit but had not received a response when the court processes were prepared.
Explaining why he personally deposed to the affidavit, Atiku said the case involved fundamental constitutional issues concerning the integrity of the presidency.
“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,” he said.
The former vice president maintained that the dispute should be determined through evidence and judicial scrutiny rather than political arguments.
He urged INEC to release the relevant records and allow the court to establish the facts surrounding the allegations.
Atiku and the ADC are also challenging provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, which they contend restrict challenges to a presidential candidate’s qualification before an election and limit qualification issues as grounds for questioning an election.
They argued that ordinary legislation cannot override an express constitutional provision, insisting that the Constitution should prevail where any conflict arises.
According to Atiku, the case therefore raises a wider constitutional question about whether legislation can restrict access to a constitutional remedy concerning the eligibility of a presidential candidate.
The suit seeks an order disqualifying Tinubu and the APC from participating in the 2027 presidential election if the allegations are established before the court.
Atiku insisted that the case was not motivated by personal or political considerations but by the need to ensure that the same constitutional standards apply to everyone seeking the presidency.
“Nobody is above the Constitution, not Atiku Abubakar, not Bola Tinubu, and certainly not the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
He also called on INEC to maintain neutrality and make relevant electoral records available, arguing that Nigerians deserve to know whether presidential candidates meet the constitutional requirements before voting.
Counsel to the plaintiffs, Edwin Inegedu, SAN, and Joseph Onu Silas, expressed confidence in the case.
Silas Onu said the legal team had examined the relevant constitutional and statutory provisions and presented its arguments before the court, adding that it was prepared to respond once the defendants were served with the processes.
