The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu be served within seven days with a suit filed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar challenging his eligibility to contest the 2027 presidential election over allegations surrounding a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate.

Justice Inyang Ekwo issued the order on Wednesday after granting an application for substituted service, allowing the court processes to be served on Tinubu through his political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The development clears an important procedural hurdle in the case, which had earlier stalled over the plaintiffs’ inability to personally serve the President with the originating processes.

Atiku’s counsel, Olanrewaju Omotayo-Ojo, appeared in court in place of Silas Onu, who was reportedly bereaved, and moved the application seeking permission for substituted service.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1888/2026, was filed by Atiku and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), with Tinubu, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) listed as the first, second and third defendants respectively.

At the centre of the case is an allegation by Atiku and the ADC that a purported NYSC discharge certificate bearing the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle” was submitted to INEC as part of documents used to establish Tinubu’s eligibility for the presidency.

The plaintiffs contend that the certificate is not genuine and that its alleged submission amounts to a violation of constitutional provisions relating to the presentation of forged certificates by candidates seeking elective office.

Atiku personally deposed to a 25-paragraph affidavit in support of the case, in which he alleged that the disputed certificate had been associated with Tinubu’s political career since his 1999 campaign for the Lagos State governorship.

The plaintiffs are asking the court to determine whether the alleged presentation of the certificate can trigger the constitutional provisions they rely on to challenge Tinubu’s eligibility for the 2027 presidential election.

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Among their demands is an order declaring that Tinubu presented a forged certificate to INEC and an order disqualifying Tinubu and the APC from participating in the 2027 presidential election on that basis.

However, the allegations remain contested and have not been judicially determined. Tinubu and the APC have denied submitting forged certificates to INEC and have asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing, among other things, that the suit is incompetent and that the plaintiffs lack the legal standing to institute it.

INEC has also challenged the competence of the suit and is asking the court to dismiss it. The electoral body has raised objections concerning issues including limitation, locus standi, the cause of action and compliance with applicable pre-election procedures.

The case has also generated an unusual legal development, with more than one Senior Advocate of Nigeria reportedly filing processes on behalf of President Tinubu.

The matter had previously been adjourned to September 28 for further proceedings after the plaintiffs told the court that they had been unable to personally serve the President. The latest ruling now permits the documents to be served through the APC, removing the immediate obstacle surrounding service of the processes.

With the court's order now in place, the case is expected to proceed to the next stage, where the parties will present their respective arguments on the legal questions surrounding the suit.

For now, the court has made no finding that Tinubu submitted a forged certificate.