By Umaru Ashama

Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has dragged President Bola Tinubu to court over alleged forgery of his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate.

In a suit filed at the federal high court in Abuja on Friday, Atiku is seeking Tinubu’s disqualification from the 2027 presidential election.

Atiku, the presidential candidate of the ADC, filed the suit alongside the party. The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are joined as defendants.

Atiku also personally appeared at the court registry to depose to an affidavit in support of the suit, saying the case concerned the constitutional requirements for occupying the office of president.

The plaintiffs are challenging Tinubu’s eligibility under provisions of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and the Electoral Act, 2026.

At the centre of their case is section 137(1)(j) of the constitution, which provides that a person is not qualified for election as president if they have presented a forged certificate to INEC.

According to the affidavit, the NYSC certificate submitted to INEC bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle”, which the plaintiffs contend is different from Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the president’s name.

Atiku and the ADC are asking the court to determine whether Tinubu and the APC should be disqualified from participating in the 2027 presidential election if the allegations are established.

They are also asking INEC to produce Tinubu’s Form CF001 submitted for the 2023 and 2027 presidential elections.

The plaintiffs said Atiku had earlier applied for certified true copies of the relevant documents but had not received a response by the time the suit was prepared.

Speaking after deposing to the affidavit, Atiku said he personally appeared at the registry because of the constitutional implications of the case.

“I came here personally because the issues before the court go to the heart of our constitution and the integrity of the office of president,” Atiku said.

“I have therefore put my name, my signature and my oath behind the facts we are presenting to the court. Now it is President Tinubu’s turn to answer them.”

The suit also challenges provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, which the plaintiffs argue restrict the ability to challenge a candidate’s qualification at the pre-election stage.

They contend that an act of the National Assembly cannot override an express provision of the constitution and are asking the court to determine whether the statutory restrictions can prevent them from relying on section 137(1)(j).

The plaintiffs are consequently seeking an order disqualifying Tinubu and the APC from participating in the 2027 presidential election on the grounds set out in the suit.

Atiku said the matter should be resolved through the courts and not political arguments or public speculation.

“We are not asking Nigerians to decide this matter on social media, and we are not asking INEC to become a court,” he said.

“We are asking the institution holding the records to produce them and the judiciary to examine the evidence and pronounce on it.”

Counsel to the plaintiffs, Edwin Inegedu, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and Joseph Onu Silas, said they were confident in the case after reviewing the relevant constitutional and electoral provisions.

Silas said the suit also presented an opportunity for the courts to further clarify Nigeria’s electoral jurisprudence.

“We are confident that justice will prevail. This case presents an important opportunity to further develop Nigeria’s electoral jurisprudence,” he added.

By Lookman Jibowu

Osun Police Command has arrested a serving member of the state House of Assembly, Abiola Inaolaji, alongside 146 suspected political thugs in Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area of the state.

The command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Abiosun Ojelabi, confirmed the arrest on Saturday in Osogbo.

Ojelabi said that the lawmaker, a member of Accord, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in the early hours of Saturday.

He said that Inaolaji, representing Irewole/Isokan State Constituency, was arrested during a police operation.

Ojelabi said that the arrest was part of intensified security operations by the police to prevent actions capable of undermining the credibility of the electoral process.

Meanwhile, in a viral video clip, a man identified as Ibrahim was seen identifying himself and confessing to facilitating the movement of 146 suspects to Osun from neighbouring states for the purpose of voting in the election.

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, advertising experts have raised concerns over what they described as irregular regulation policies across the states

This is even as they called for urgent harmonisation of Nigeria’s regulatory frameworks governing outdoor advertising in the country 

The practitioners warned that overlapping and conflicting requirements could undermine investment, fair competition and professional practice in the industry.

Advertising expert, TOE Ekechi, who made the call during the 41st Annual General Meeting of the Out -of – Home Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) in Abeokuta, Ogun state warned that indiscriminate imposition of advertising fees across the states wound hinder the growth of the sector, as well as affect the delivery of it’s contents 

Ekechi made the call while delivering a keynote address at the 41st Annual General Meeting of the Out-of-Home Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Speaking on the topic, “Out-of-Home Advertising Association of Nigeria in Political Campaign Season: Policies, Politics and Fair Practice,”  the advertising guru said outdoor advertising practitioners often operate within a complex regulatory environment involving different authorities, permits, fees and enforcement requirements.

It would be recalled that several state governments have recently imposed intimidating fees for placement of political campaign adverts across the states, including billboards, posters

According to him, “regulatory responsibilities should be clearly defined to prevent duplication, conflicting directives and unnecessary financial burdens on practitioners.”

He stressed that political campaign periods make the issue even more critical because increased demand for advertising spaces can expose operators to multiple regulatory demands within a short period.

Ekechi also warned against selective enforcement, insisting that rules governing political advertising must be transparent and applied uniformly to all parties and candidates.

«“If one candidate is denied access because of a regulatory restriction, that same restriction must apply to others in comparable circumstances,” he stated.»

He urged OAAN to engage government and regulatory agencies in developing a more coordinated framework that would provide clarity on permits, fees, approvals, enforcement, advertising rights and compliance responsibilities.

Ekechi maintained that predictable regulation would encourage investment and strengthen the capacity of outdoor advertising companies to plan for long-term growth.

He further called on OAAN to strengthen self-regulation and ensure that practitioners uphold professional standards while advocating reforms within the regulatory system.

He maintained that a properly harmonised regulatory framework would benefit not only outdoor advertising practitioners but also government, political parties, advertisers and the wider economy.