Tinubu, APC Deny Alleged Submission of Fake NYSC Certificate to INEC

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have denied allegations that the President submitted a forged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The denial followed a pre-election suit filed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), seeking the disqualification of Tinubu and the APC from the 2027 presidential election over an alleged forged NYSC certificate.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1888/2026, was filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja and names Tinubu, the APC and INEC as defendants. Atiku and the ADC are asking the court to determine whether the alleged submission of a forged certificate violates the constitutional requirements for presidential candidates.

In an affidavit filed in support of the case, the plaintiffs alleged that the NYSC discharge certificate attributed to Tinubu bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle”, which they contend raises questions about the authenticity of the document allegedly submitted to INEC.

Tinubu and the APC, however, rejected the allegation, insisting that the President did not submit any forged certificate to INEC in connection with either the 2023 or 2027 presidential elections.

The defendants also disputed the claim that Tinubu personally submitted Form CF001 to INEC for the elections. Their legal team argued that the NYSC has not disowned the discharge certificate being attributed to the President.

Tinubu’s counsel, Chief Akin Olujinmi, SAN, further argued that allegations of forgery are criminal allegations that must be proved beyond reasonable doubt. He maintained that evidence from the institution purported to have issued the document would be relevant to determining whether the certificate was genuine or forged.

The President and the APC consequently urged the court to dismiss the suit, arguing that the plaintiffs had failed to establish a sufficient legal and factual basis for the action and lacked the necessary legal standing to institute the case.

INEC has also challenged the suit, arguing that it is statute-barred, discloses no reasonable cause of action and constitutes an abuse of court process. The electoral commission further raised issues concerning the plaintiffs’ compliance with applicable pre-election procedures of the Federal High Court.

Meanwhile, Justice Inyang Ekwo granted Atiku permission to serve the court processes on President Tinubu through the APC after attempts to personally serve the President were unsuccessful. The court directed that the documents be served within seven days.

The case has been adjourned until September 28, 2026, for further proceedings.

The allegations of certificate forgery remain disputed, and no final determination has been made by the court on the authenticity of the document or Tinubu’s eligibility on the basis of the allegations.