Court schedules ruling on Atiku’s bid to amend certificate forgery suit against Tinubu

Federal High Court to Rule on Atiku Abubakar’s Amendment Request

ABUJA — Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo of the Federal High Court has scheduled a ruling for November 20 regarding former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s request to amend his lawsuit. The suit seeks to prevent President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) from participating in the 2027 presidential election.

The ruling date was set on Tuesday after Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), maintained his bid to modify the claims against Tinubu. The request faces opposition from both Tinubu and the APC.

During the proceedings, Abubakar’s attorney, Joseph Silas Onu, presented the application, which includes new allegations against Tinubu and the APC. Onu argued that the amendments are necessary to introduce additional evidence in the ongoing case concerning alleged certificate forgery.

Abubakar and the ADC filed the initial application on September 10, seeking court permission to amend their summons. They cited errors in the original filing, including mistakenly referencing an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) form as Form CF001 instead of the correct Form EC9A. Additionally, they stated that the amendments would clarify allegations of fraud by providing a written deposition from Abubakar and including clearer exhibits that were not available at the time of the original filing.

Opposition to the amendment was voiced by Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, representing Tinubu. He contended that, since the matter has been fully joined by the parties, Abubakar could not change his claims mid-case. Former Attorney General Akin Olujimi, SAN, supporting the APC, echoed this sentiment, urging the court to deny the amendment request. Similarly, legal expert Dr. Alex Izinyon called for the court to dismiss the request and proceed to the main issue at hand.

Following the arguments presented, Justice Ekwo set the ruling date for November 20.

Abubakar and the ADC contend that Tinubu should be disqualified from the upcoming election over allegations surrounding his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate, which they claim was forged. They assert that the certificate submitted to INEC bears the name Bola Adekunle rather than the widely recognized Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu and the APC deny these allegations and have sought a dismissal of the suit. They argue that the proposed amendments introduce new claims, documents, and facts that extend beyond mere corrections. Furthermore, Tinubu’s legal team contends that the substantive suit is barred by statute since the cause of action arose when his name was submitted to INEC on July 11, with the suit itself filed on August 14.

INEC has also opposed the amendment, arguing it would add a new cause of action and attempt to remedy shortcomings in the original filing after the constitutional deadline for pre-election cases has passed.

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