Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking the disqualification of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from contesting the 2027 presidential election.
In the suit filed on Friday, the applicant alleges that the discharge certificate issued by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by President Tinubu contains material discrepancies and amounts to a forged document.
The legal action rests on Section 137(1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which stipulates that any candidate who presents a forged certificate to the electoral umpire shall be disqualified from holding the office of the President.
The plaintiff argues that the submission of an alleged invalid NYSC credential invalidates the President’s eligibility for the upcoming general election cycle.
In the relief sought before the court, Atiku asks the judiciary to issue an order restraining INEC from accepting or recognizing Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a valid candidate for the 2027 presidential ballot.
The court is yet to fix a date for the preliminary hearing, and representatives for the Presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have not formally responded to the fresh suit as of press time.
