2027: Court Gives Atiku 7 Days To Serve Suit Challenging Tinubu’s Eligibility

The Federal High Court in Abuja has given former Vice President Atiku Abubakar seven days to serve President Bola Tinubu with a suit challenging his eligibility to contest the 2027 presidential election.

Justice Inyang Ekwo issued the order on Wednesday while ruling on an application seeking permission to serve the court processes on Tinubu through his political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1888/2026, was filed by Atiku, a former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), with the ADC joined as the second plaintiff. Tinubu, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are listed as the first, second and third defendants respectively.

Atiku is challenging Tinubu’s eligibility on the grounds of an alleged forged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate submitted to INEC.

In an affidavit filed in support of the case, Atiku alleged that the NYSC certificate submitted by Tinubu carries the name Tinubu Bola Adekunle, rather than his actual name. He argued that the document was therefore not legitimately issued to Tinubu and was presented to INEC as a genuine certificate.

Atiku further alleged that the document had been used by Tinubu since his 1999 Lagos State governorship contest.

The plaintiffs are asking the court to determine whether the alleged submission of the certificate breached constitutional provisions governing the qualifications of candidates for the presidency.

They are also seeking an order disqualifying Tinubu and the APC from participating in the 2027 presidential election on the basis of the alleged certificate submission.

The court had earlier fixed September 28 for the commencement of the substantive hearing of the case.

INEC has filed processes challenging the competence of the suit and is asking the court to dismiss it.

The case has also produced competing appearances by two Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Chief Akin Olujinmi and Chief Wole Olanipekun, who have separately filed processes on behalf of Tinubu.

Olujinmi challenged the competence of Atiku’s case and argued that the action was filed outside the period permitted under the Electoral Act 2026. He also questioned Atiku’s legal standing to challenge matters involving the APC.

Olanipekun similarly filed a preliminary objection and counter-affidavit seeking the dismissal of the case. He argued that the suit was incompetent and amounted to an abuse of court process.

In a letter to the court dated September 10, Olanipekun stated that Tinubu had instructed him to lead a legal team to defend his interests in the matter.

He also complained that Tinubu had not been personally served with the originating processes despite the case already coming before the court.

Olanipekun asked the court to provide the processes meant for Tinubu or certified copies of the documents so that the president could respond to the case.

The plaintiffs have also sought permission to amend parts of their suit. One of the proposed changes concerns the identification of the INEC form to which the alleged certificate was attached, with the plaintiffs seeking to correct an earlier reference to Form CF001 to Form EC9.

The court’s latest order clears the way for the parties to address the service issue ahead of the scheduled hearing, while the objections challenging the competence of the case remain before the court.