By Uzair Adam
A civil society organisation, the Centre for Reform and Public Advocacy (CFRPA), has approached the Federal High Court in Kano, seeking an order disqualifying President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from contesting the 2027 presidential election over allegations of certificate forgery.
The suit, filed under case number FHC/K/CS/312/2026, names President Tinubu, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Chicago State University (CSU) as defendants.
According to court documents, the plaintiff alleged that Tinubu submitted forged academic credentials from Chicago State University as well as a fake National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate to INEC during the 2023 general elections.
The group further claimed that Tinubu did not attend Government College Lagos as stated in his records, arguing that the institution was established in 1974, several years after he reportedly completed his secondary education.
CFRPA contended that the president lacks a valid secondary school certificate, which it described as the minimum constitutional requirement for contesting the office of president.
The organisation also accused INEC of failing to respond to a petition it submitted on June 19, 2026, requesting clarification on Tinubu’s eligibility for future elections.
In its statement before the court, the plaintiff referenced the 2023 United States court ruling in In Re: Application of Atiku Abubakar (No. 23 CV 05099), which directed Chicago State University to release Tinubu’s academic records.
According to the group, the documents released by the university contained inconsistencies and false entries, including what it described as a forged University of Cambridge General Certificate of Education.
Among the reliefs sought, the plaintiff is asking the court to declare Tinubu’s Chicago State University certificate forged, direct INEC to disqualify him from participating in the 2027 presidential election, and order Chicago State University to remove his name from its records.
The organisation is also seeking a perpetual injunction restraining INEC from accepting or publishing Tinubu’s name as a candidate in the 2027 election.
Supporting documents filed before the court include affidavits, witness statements, and correspondence addressed to the NYSC and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, requesting official clarification on the alleged NYSC certificate.
