Atiku asks court to disqualify Tinubu from 2027 presidential race

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has taken his battle with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu into the courtroom again, asking the Federal High Court in Abuja to determine whether an alleged discrepancy involving Tinubu’s NYSC discharge certificate could prevent him from contesting the 2027 presidential election.

Atiku, now the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is among the plaintiffs challenging the validity of the document submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

At the heart of the case is the name on the NYSC certificate. The plaintiffs allege that the document submitted to INEC bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle”, whereas the President is known as “Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

They want the court to determine whether the alleged difference in names amounts to an irregularity capable of affecting Tinubu’s constitutional eligibility to seek another term in office.

The suit also asks the court to interpret relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, particularly those dealing with the qualifications and documentation required of presidential candidates.

The plaintiffs’ argument, in essence, is that if the disputed NYSC document is found to be invalid, forged or otherwise legally defective, the court should determine whether that defect is sufficient to bar Tinubu from appearing on the ballot in 2027.

Certificate controversy returns to court

The latest litigation adds another chapter to the long-running controversy surrounding Tinubu’s academic and service credentials.

A separate suit was filed in June 2026 by the Centre for Reform and Public Advocacy (CFRPA) at the Federal High Court in Kano, also seeking Tinubu’s disqualification from the 2027 presidential election over alleged certificate forgery. That case, marked FHC/K/CS/312/2026, names Tinubu, INEC and Chicago State University as defendants.

CFRPA alleged that Tinubu submitted forged academic credentials and a fake NYSC discharge certificate to INEC during the 2023 election. Those claims remain allegations before the court and have not been established as facts by a final judgment.

The latest case involving Atiku is politically significant because it comes as the former vice president prepares to challenge Tinubu directly in the 2027 presidential contest.

Atiku’s ADC candidacy itself recently survived a separate legal challenge. In July, the Federal High Court in Abuja struck out a suit brought by former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi seeking to invalidate Atiku’s emergence as the ADC presidential candidate after Amaechi’s lawyer applied to withdraw the case following a settlement.

Atiku has nevertheless recently maintained that the 2027 election should ultimately be decided by Nigerians at the ballot box rather than through prolonged courtroom battles. Following an appellate victory that removed a legal obstacle confronting the ADC, he said the election “must be won at the ballot, not in court.”

The new suit puts that principle to an early test.

For now, the question before the Federal High Court is not whether Tinubu has been disqualified, but whether the alleged discrepancy surrounding his NYSC certificate has the legal consequences Atiku and the other plaintiffs claim.

Until the court rules, the allegations concerning the certificate remain contested claims, not established findings of forgery or ineligibility.