The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned until October 13, 2026, for the hearing of an application by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress to amend their suit challenging President Bola Tinubu’s eligibility to contest the 2027 presidential election.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1888/2026, came up for further mention before Justice Inyang Ekwo on Monday.
When the case was called, counsel for the plaintiffs, Joseph Silas, told the court that all the defendants had been served with the relevant processes within the stipulated period and that the plaintiffs had received and responded to their processes.
The proceedings had earlier been delayed by a dispute over the service of the originating summons on Tinubu.
Counsel to the President, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, reminded the court that during the previous hearing on September 1, 2026, counsel for the second defendant, Popoola Owosanya, had offered to receive the processes on behalf of the President.
According to Olanipekun, the offer was rejected by the plaintiffs’ counsel, who subsequently approached the court for an order allowing substituted service on Tinubu.
He alleged that the plaintiffs later attempted to “deceive this court” by claiming they had been unable to serve the President.
Justice Ekwo, however, urged the lawyers to concentrate 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 all the defendants had been served with the application.
After confirming that the parties had received the application, Justice Ekwo adjourned the matter.
“This case is hereby adjourned until the 13th of October 2026, for hearing of the motion to amend originating summons,” the judge ruled.
Atiku and the ADC filed the suit in August, challenging Tinubu’s eligibility to contest the 2027 presidential election.
Their case centres mainly on an alleged discrepancy involving the name contained in a National Youth Service Corps discharge certificate submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission and the President’s official name.
The allegation forms part of the substantive issues that are yet to be determined by the court.
On September 16, Justice Ekwo granted the plaintiffs permission to serve Tinubu through the All Progressives Congress after they told the court that attempts to personally serve the President had proved difficult.
The substituted-service order was subsequently challenged by the APC, which argued that Tinubu’s lawyers had already collected the originating processes and filed his defence before the application for substituted service was made.
Meanwhile, INEC has filed a response challenging the competence of the suit. The electoral commission raised issues including the plaintiffs’ locus standi and alleged abuse of court process.
The substantive claims and objections in the case are yet to be determined by the court.