Atiku drags Tinubu to court over eligibility for 2027 election

Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), entered the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday to file an affidavit challenging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's eligibility to run in the 2027 presidential election. The action, filed by Atiku and the ADC against Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), cites several constitutional provisions and electoral laws.

The core of the case is Section 137(1)(j) of the Constitution, which stipulates that a person is ineligible to be elected President if they have submitted a forged certificate to INEC. Atiku specifically seeks a determination on whether Tinubu and the APC should be disqualified from the 2027 election, alleging that Tinubu submitted a forged NYSC certificate to INEC during the 2023 and 2027 elections.

In his affidavit, Atiku emphasized the significance of the matter before the court, stating that he could not ask Nigerians to respect the Constitution while treating this issue lightly. He has now placed INEC on notice to provide Tinubu's Form CF001 from the 2023 and 2027 presidential elections. Atiku and the ADC also challenge provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, arguing that they restrict who can challenge a candidate's qualification before an election and that limiting the right to question a candidate's qualification undermines the Constitution.