Atiku Files Court Case Against Tinubu Over Alleged NYSC Certificate Fraud

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking the disqualification of President Bola Tinubu from the 2027 presidential election over an alleged forged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate.

Atiku, alongside the ADC, is asking the court to determine whether Tinubu should be disqualified under the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2026 if it is established that a forged certificate was submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to the affidavit filed by Atiku, the disputed NYSC discharge certificate allegedly bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle” instead of “Bola Ahmed Tinubu.” The plaintiffs also alleged that the certificate was not obtained by Tinubu.

Atiku is further asking the court to compel INEC to produce Tinubu’s Form CF001 submitted for the 2023 and 2027 presidential elections. He said he had previously requested certified copies of the relevant documents from INEC but had not received them.

Atiku personally appeared at the court registry in Abuja to depose to an affidavit supporting the case. He said the matter was too important to be handled casually and should be determined through evidence rather than political arguments or social media exchanges.

He stated that the presidency should not shield anyone from constitutional scrutiny and urged INEC to demonstrate its neutrality by releasing the relevant electoral records.

Meanwhile, an ADC chieftain and legal counsel, Kalu Agu, submitted a petition to the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, asking the European Union to intervene over what he described as an alleged violation of Nigeria’s constitutional order.

Agu alleged that Tinubu submitted false academic credentials to INEC and failed to disclose the primary and secondary schools he attended in documents submitted to the electoral commission.

However, the All Progressives Congress (APC) dismissed Atiku’s lawsuit as an exercise in futility. The party’s National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, said Tinubu was qualified to contest the 2027 election and challenged Atiku to prepare for the election instead.

Basiru also argued that the matter had already been settled by the Supreme Court.

The President’s Special Adviser on Policy Communications, Daniel Bwala, also dismissed the petition to the European Commission, describing it as an opposition distraction.

The legal dispute is expected to attract further attention as the 2027 presidential election approaches, with the court now set to consider the allegations and the evidence presented by the parties.

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