Lawyers representing opposing sides in a suit challenging President Bola Tinubu’s eligibility to contest the 2027 presidential election disagreed on Tuesday on the service of the filings in the case on Mr Tinubu. The suit was instituted by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The Punch reported that earlier on Tuesday, Atiku’s lawyer, Joseph Onu, asked the court for permission to serve Mr Tinubu through substituted means so that the case could proceed. Mr Onu said he had been unable to personally serve the filings on Mr Tinubu as generally required by law. However, Omosanya Popoola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) who appeared for Mr Tinubu, offered to receive the originating summons on Mr Tinubu’s behalf.
He asked the court to direct Mr Onu to hand the filings to him in open court for onward delivery to the president. But, Mr Onu declined the proposal while insisting that Mr Popoola should first provide a written undertaking confirming that he had Mr Tinubu’s authority to accept the court process on his behalf.
The disagreement prompted Judge Ekwo to adjourn the matter until September to allow the plaintiffs to regularise service on the president. Mr Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and his party filed the suit in August against Mr Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The suit urged the court to declare Mr Tinubu unqualified to contest the 2027 presidential election, citing alleged flaws in the name appearing on the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate allegedly linked to Mr Tinubu. Atiku and the ADC argued that the certificate bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle”, while the president is known as Bola Ahmed Tinubu.