President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is facing a fresh legal battle over allegations surrounding his academic credentials and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) records, following a suit filed at the Federal High Court in Kano.
The case, filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the Centre for Reforms and Public Advocacy, is seeking an order barring the President from contesting the 2027 presidential election.
Court documents show that the suit, marked FHC/KN/CS/312/2026, was filed on June 26, 2026, before the Federal High Court sitting in Kano.
Named as defendants in the suit are President Tinubu, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Chicago State University.
The advocacy group is asking the court to determine whether Tinubu submitted forged academic and NYSC certificates to INEC during the 2023 presidential election process.
At the centre of the suit are claims that the President allegedly provided false information regarding his educational qualifications and supporting credentials used for his nomination.
According to the court filings, the plaintiff argued that “the first defendant knowingly presented forged academic credentials and false information to the second defendant in support of his qualification to contest the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The group further challenged the authenticity of the academic certificate linked to Chicago State University, insisting that the document submitted to INEC raises serious legal and constitutional concerns.
It argued that “the certificate purportedly issued by Chicago State University and submitted to INEC is forged, invalid and incapable of conferring any constitutional qualification on the first defendant.”
The plaintiff also raised concerns over alleged inconsistencies in Tinubu’s academic records, variations in names appearing on submitted documents, and questions surrounding the NYSC certificate presented to the electoral commission.
Based on these claims, the organisation is asking the court to declare Tinubu ineligible to contest the 2027 presidential election.
Among the reliefs sought is an order directing INEC to disqualify the President from the next presidential race and reject any future nomination submitted by him.
The group is also seeking a perpetual injunction restraining INEC from recognising Tinubu as a valid candidate in 2027.
In a more far-reaching request, the plaintiff asked the court to direct Chicago State University to remove Tinubu’s name from its academic records.
The suit follows a series of letters reportedly sent by the organisation between 2025 and 2026 to INEC, the NYSC, and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, demanding clarification on the President’s academic and service records.
According to the group, those letters did not produce satisfactory responses, forcing it to seek judicial intervention.
“The refusal and/or failure of the relevant public institutions to address these issues has made it necessary for this honourable court to determine the constitutional questions raised in this suit,” the plaintiff stated.
The organisation listed Emmanuella Alisi as its sole witness and said it intends to rely on documentary evidence, including records from the United States proceedings involving Chicago State University and correspondence exchanged with public institutions.
As of the time of filing this report, no hearing date has been fixed by the court. The defendants are also yet to file formal responses to the allegations.