Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has approached 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 certificate.

Atiku, alongside the ADC, filed the suit against Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission, asking the court to determine whether the President is qualified to contest the election.

The plaintiffs alleged that the disputed NYSC discharge certificate submitted to INEC bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle” instead of “Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

They relied on relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and the Electoral Act 2026, particularly the constitutional provision disqualifying a candidate who presents a forged certificate to INEC.

Atiku also asked the court to compel INEC to produce Tinubu’s Form CF001 and other relevant documents submitted for the 2023 and 2027 presidential elections.

He said the matter should be resolved through evidence and judicial scrutiny rather than political arguments or social media exchanges.

Meanwhile, the APC dismissed the suit as an exercise in futility. Its National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, maintained that Tinubu is qualified to contest the 2027 election and urged Atiku to prepare for another electoral contest.

Separately, ADC chieftain and legal counsel, Kalu Agu, petitioned the European Commission in Brussels over alleged forged documents purportedly submitted by Tinubu to INEC.

Agu also alleged that the President presented false academic credentials and failed to disclose some of the schools he attended.

Reacting to the petition, the President’s Special Adviser on Policy Communications, Daniel Bwala, described it as an opposition distraction and urged the opposition to focus on presenting alternative policies to Nigerians.