/ Sep 29, 2026
/ Sep 29, 2026

2027 Election: Atiku, ADC move to amend suit challenging Tinubu’s eligibility

Published on

By

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have applied to amend their suit challenging President Bola Tinubu’s eligibility to contest the 2027 presidential election.

 

Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja adjourned the case until October 13 for the hearing of the application to amend the originating summons.

At Monday’s proceedings, counsel to the plaintiffs, Joseph Silas, told the court that all defendants had been served with the relevant processes and that the plaintiffs had received and responded to their filings.

The proceedings had previously been delayed by a dispute over service of the court processes on Tinubu.

Counsel to the President, Wole Olanipekun, SAN, recalled that at an earlier hearing on September 1, counsel to the second defendant, INEC, had offered to receive the processes on behalf of the President.

Olanipekun said the offer was rejected by the plaintiffs’ counsel, who later sought an order permitting substituted service on Tinubu.

Justice Ekwo urged the lawyers to focus on the matter before the court.

Silas subsequently informed the court that the plaintiffs had filed an application seeking to amend their originating summons and that the defendants had been served.

After confirming that the parties had received the application, Justice Ekwo adjourned the case to October 13.

The suit centres on an alleged discrepancy involving the name on a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Tinubu’s official name.

The allegation forms part of the substantive issues yet to be determined by the court.

On September 16, the court granted the plaintiffs permission to serve Tinubu through the All Progressives Congress (APC), after they said attempts to personally serve the President had proved difficult.

The APC subsequently challenged the substituted-service order, arguing that Tinubu’s lawyers had already collected the originating processes and filed his defence before the application for substituted service was made.

INEC has also challenged the competence of the suit, raising issues including the plaintiffs’ locus standi and alleged abuse of court process.

You May Like

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Most Popular

Must Read

NDC candidate, Anaocha 1, Anambra politics, Nkechi Ogbuefi, Azubuike Okoye, 2027 Anambra election

Lawyer sues NDC, INEC over Anambra Reps primary result

A legal practitioner, Obunike Ohaegbu, has sued the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the alleged failure to declare the result of the party’s primary election for the Nnewi North/Nnewi South/Ekwusigo Federal Constituency in Anambra State.   Ohaegbu filed the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1219/2026, at the Federal High Court in Abuja over the primary held on May 29, 2026, to select the NDC’s candidate for the 2027 House of Representatives election. He listed NDC, Ebere Onunkwo, Socrates Ebo, INEC and Peter Uzokwe as the first to fifth defendants. In the originating summons, Ohaegbu claimed that he participated in the primary and scored the highest number of lawful votes. He is asking the court to determine whether, based on the votes he allegedly secured, he should be recognised as the validly elected and nominated NDC candidate for the constituency. The lawyer is also challenging the party’s alleged failure or refusal to collate, announce and publish the primary result despite the conclusion of the voting process by its appointed electoral officers. Ohaegbu further challenged an alleged NDC directive that the result should not be announced at the venue of the primary but only at the party’s national headquarters. He wants the court to determine whether such a directive could be used to suppress, alter, substitute or refuse to declare the lawful winner of the primary. The plaintiff is also challenging the process through which Uzokwe was recognised as the NDC candidate. Among the reliefs sought, Ohaegbu wants the court to declare him the validly elected and nominated candidate and order the NDC to formally declare and return him as the winner of the primary. He is also seeking an order preventing the party from substituting his name with another candidate and directing the NDC to submit and upload his name and particulars to INEC. Ohaegbu further wants INEC restrained from accepting, recognising or publishing the name of anyone other than him as the NDC candidate, should the court determine that he lawfully won the primary. At Monday’s proceedings, the case could not proceed because the second, third and fifth defendants had not been served with the mandatory hearing notice and were absent from court. Counsel to Ohaegbu, Ifeanyi Nrialike, told the court that the parties had filed and exchanged the relevant processes. The court directed that hearing notices be served on the absent defendants and adjourned the case until October 14, 2026. The judge also ordered that proof of service on all parties must be presented before the next hearing.
Read more

Editor's Pick

Trending News

Newsletter

Enter your email address and receive notifications of news by email.

You have been successfully Subscribed! Ops! Something went wrong, please try again.

© 2026 GongNews. All Rights Reserved.