By Lizzy Chirkpi
The legal battle over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s eligibility to contest the 2027 presidential election suffered a setback on Tuesday as proceedings in a suit filed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar were stalled over the failure to serve the President with the originating summons.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is asking the Federal High Court in Abuja to disqualify President Tinubu from contesting the 2027 presidential election over allegations concerning an NYSC discharge certificate allegedly submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1888/2026, came up before Justice Inyang Ekwo on Tuesday but could not proceed after counsel to the plaintiffs, Joseph Onu, informed the court that he had been unable to personally serve Tinubu with the originating summons.
Onu told the court that he intended to effect personal service on the President or, alternatively, seek an order permitting substituted service.
However, counsel representing President Tinubu reportedly offered to receive the originating summons on his behalf. Atiku’s lawyer rejected the offer, insisting that the documents be served personally on the President or through a court-approved substituted service.
With the issue unresolved, Justice Ekwo adjourned the matter until September 28, 2026, for further proceedings.
Atiku’s suit centres on an alleged discrepancy in the name appearing on an NYSC discharge certificate which he claims President Tinubu submitted to INEC.
In an affidavit filed in support of the suit, Atiku alleged that the NYSC certificate submitted to INEC bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle”, rather than Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to Atiku, the document was not issued to President Tinubu and therefore raises questions about the information allegedly supplied to INEC ahead of the 2027 election.
Atiku further alleged that the certificate had existed since 1999, when Tinubu contested the Lagos State governorship election.
“I know that the NYSC certificate is clearly not one obtained by the 1st defendant, as it belongs to one Adekunle,” Atiku stated in his affidavit, according to reports of the court proceedings.
He also alleged that the document in INEC’s custody was forged and that Tinubu had presented it to the electoral body as genuine.
The allegations have not been judicially established, and the court has yet to hear the substantive arguments in the case.
Atiku and the ADC are asking the Federal High Court to determine whether the alleged submission of the disputed NYSC certificate, as well as the information contained in Tinubu’s electoral documents, affects his constitutional eligibility to contest the presidency in 2027.
The suit lists President Tinubu as the first defendant, the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the second defendant and INEC as the third defendant.
The case adds another legal dimension to the increasingly intense political contest ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with Atiku pursuing the matter in his capacity as a presidential candidate of the ADC.
Tuesday’s proceedings, however, did not address the substance of Atiku’s allegations against the President.
Instead, the immediate issue before the court was whether the originating summons had been properly served on Tinubu. The failure to complete service consequently prevented the matter from advancing to the substantive stage.
Justice Ekwo’s adjournment to September 28 gives the plaintiffs additional time to resolve the service issue and take steps to move the case forward.