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Former Vice President personally appears at Federal High Court to swear affidavit, challenging President’s eligibility and demanding INEC produce nomination records.

ABUJA, NIGERIA – In a dramatic escalation of pre-election hostilities, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Friday personally appeared at the Federal High Court registry in Abuja to swear an affidavit in a bombshell suit seeking the disqualification of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from the 2027 presidential election over allegations of certificate forgery .

The legal action, filed by Atiku and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), invokes Section 137(1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution, which explicitly bars any person who has presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from contesting for the nation’s highest office . At the heart of the explosive case is an NYSC discharge certificate that Atiku alleges bears a name—”Tinubu Bola Adekunle”—that is fundamentally different from the President’s official identity, Bola Ahmed Tinubu .

“Now It Is President Tinubu’s Turn to Answer”

Atiku, whose decision to personally depose to the affidavit was deliberate, framed the suit not as a political vendetta but as a constitutional necessity.

“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,” Atiku declared in a statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu . “I cannot ask Nigerians to respect the Constitution while treating a matter of this magnitude casually. I have therefore put my name, my signature and my oath behind the facts we are presenting to the court. Now it is President Tinubu’s turn to answer them” .

The plaintiffs are demanding that the court compel INEC to produce President Tinubu’s Form CF001, the crucial nomination document submitted for both the 2023 and 2027 elections, after Atiku’s prior requests for certified copies went unanswered .

The Core Allegation: A Question of Identity

According to the affidavit, the NYSC certificate submitted by Tinubu to INEC for the 2027 presidential election is the same document questioned in the 2023 contest. The plaintiffs argue that the certificate is not a document obtained by Tinubu, raising fundamental questions about identity and constitutional integrity .

“If the certificate belongs to Bola Ahmed Tinubu, let that be established before the court. If ‘Tinubu Bola Adekunle’ and ‘Bola Ahmed Tinubu’ are one and the same person for the purpose of that certificate, let the evidence establish it,” Atiku stated, adding pointedly: “These are questions that deserve answers, not political insults or presidential silence” .

The suit goes beyond the certificate dispute to challenge provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, which Atiku argues unlawfully restrict the ability to challenge a candidate’s qualification at the pre-election stage .

“This case therefore raises a fundamental question for our democracy,” Atiku said. “Can an Act of the National Assembly be used as a shield against an express provision of the Constitution? Can we write into ordinary legislation an escape route from a constitutional standard applicable to everyone seeking the Presidency? Our position is that the Constitution remains supreme” .

“One Standard for Every Nigerian”

Atiku drew a stark contrast between the scrutiny faced by ordinary Nigerians and the standard applied to political leaders.

“Nigerian graduates cannot complete NYSC documentation with one identity and simply ask employers to ignore discrepancies,” he declared. “Young Nigerians seeking ordinary jobs are subjected to rigorous scrutiny of their certificates. The standard cannot suddenly disappear because the applicant is seeking the highest office in the land. The Presidency is not an immunity certificate against constitutional scrutiny” .

What This Means for 2027

The originating summons seeks among its substantive reliefs an order disqualifying Tinubu and the APC from participating in the 2027 presidential election if the plaintiffs’ case is established .

“This is not about privilege, personalities or presidential power. It is about one Constitution and one standard for every Nigerian,” Atiku stressed. “Nobody is above the Constitution—not Atiku Abubakar, not Bola Tinubu, and certainly not the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria” .

INEC has been placed on notice to produce the relevant records . The legal team, led by Edwin Inegedu, SAN, and Joseph Onu Silas, Esq., expressed confidence in the case.

This marks the second consecutive election cycle where Atiku has launched a legal challenge over Tinubu’s NYSC certificate, but the stakes for 2027 have never been higher.