INEC, Tinubu seek dismissal of Atiku's forged certificate lawsuit

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and President Bola Tinubu's All Progressives Congress (APC) party are seeking the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, which alleges that Tinubu submitted a forged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate to INEC for the 2027 presidential election. The legal battle is unfolding in the Federal High Court in Abuja, with the case marked FHCABJCS18882026. Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and his party filed the suit, naming Tinubu, the APC, and INEC as defendants. They are seeking a court order to disqualify Tinubu and the APC from participating in the 2027 presidential election. In their filings, the plaintiffs allege that the NYSC certificate submitted by Tinubu bears the name "Tinubu Bola Adekunle" and is therefore a forgery, as it does not belong to the president. They claim Tinubu has been parading this certificate since 1999.