- The Centre for Reforms and Public Advocacy has filed suit FHC/KN/CS/312/2026 at the Federal High Court in Kano, seeking to bar President Bola Tinubu from the 2027 presidential election.
- The lawsuit joins INEC and Chicago State University as defendants, claiming the President submitted forged academic and NYSC certificates for the 2023 election.
- The plaintiff intends to rely on documents from the 2023 US discovery proceedings involving Atiku Abubakar, following unaddressed clarification letters sent to INEC and the SGF between 2025 and 2026.
The legal battle surrounding the academic and national service credentials of President Bola Tinubu has taken a fresh dimension as an advocacy group approached the judiciary seeking his disqualification from the upcoming 2027 presidential election.
Eko Hot Blog reports that in a newly filed lawsuit that is bound to stir political waves across Nigeria, the Incorporated Trustees of the Centre for Reforms and Public Advocacy has initiated a legal challenge at the Federal High Court in Kano, demanding that the nation’s apex electoral body bar the president from seeking a second term in office.
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The legal challenge, which was formally registered under suit number FHC/KN/CS/312/2026, was brought before the Kano Judicial Division of the court on June 26, 2026.
According to the originating court processes, the plaintiff has officially joined multiple high-profile entities as defendants in the matter.
These include First Defendant President Bola Tinubu, Second Defendant the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Third Defendant Chicago State University (CSU).
At the heart of the plaintiff’s grievances are deep-seated allegations regarding the legitimacy of the credentials submitted by President Tinubu during the previous electoral cycle.
The advocacy group is seeking a definitive judicial declaration from the court stating that the President knowingly presented forged academic credentials and false information to INEC in support of his eligibility to contest the landmark 2023 presidential election.
Specifically, the group alleges that the Chicago State University certificate and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate submitted to the commission contain substantial discrepancies that render them invalid under Nigerian law.
In seeking strict judicial interpretation and enforcement of constitutional guidelines, the lawsuit outlines several heavy reliefs against the defendants.
The Centre for Reforms and Public Advocacy is asking the court to compel INEC to completely disqualify President Tinubu from participating in the 2027 presidential race.
Furthermore, the suit seeks a perpetual injunction that would restrain the electoral commission from accepting, processing, or recognizing any nomination of the President for the next general election.
In an unexpected legal twist, the group has also prayed the court to issue an order directing Chicago State University to strike the President’s name entirely from its official institutional records.
To substantiate its claims, the plaintiff’s statement of claim indicates reliance on evidence obtained during the highly publicized 2023 discovery proceedings in the United States, which involved former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the American university.
The group maintains that the documents unsealed during those international proceedings expose glaring contradictions in the names, dates, and authentications appearing on the credentials currently held by the electoral umpire.
The plaintiff argues that these unresolved inconsistencies mean the documents are legally incapable of conferring the mandatory constitutional qualifications required to hold the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Before taking the matter to court, the Centre for Reforms and Public Advocacy reportedly made several administrative attempts to get clarity on the matter.
Between 2025 and 2026, the organization dispatched formal letters to INEC, the National Youth Service Corps headquarters, and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, requesting an official review and clarification of the President’s academic records.
The group noted in its court filings that the total silence and failure of these public institutions to address their administrative requests left them with no choice but to seek a judicial remedy.
The court documents list Emmanuella Alisi as the sole witness for the plaintiff, alongside an intention to present various correspondence files and certified true copies of the United States court proceedings.
As of the time of compiling this report, the Federal High Court in Kano has not yet fixed a definitive date for the mention or hearing of the suit.
Similarly, legal representatives for President Tinubu, INEC, and Chicago State University are yet to file their formal defense responses to the heavy allegations raised in the originating processes.
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