The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss a recent order allowing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to serve legal papers to President Bola Tinubu through the party’s office.
The dispute originated from a lawsuit filed by Atiku and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to disqualify Tinubu from the 2027 presidential race. The plaintiffs claimed that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate the president submitted bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle,” which differs from his official name.
During a court sitting in early September, Atiku’s legal team told Justice Inyang Ekwo that they were struggling to deliver the court documents directly to the president. Based on this claim, the judge granted an order on September 16, permitting the plaintiffs to drop the papers at the APC national secretariat instead.
The APC in a letter dated September 22 and signed by the party’s National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, said the move was unnecessary, revealing that President Tinubu had already hired a legal team led by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) to handle the case. According to the party, Tinubu’s lawyers went to the court registry on September 11, paid for certified copies of the documents, and officially filed a full defence by September 15.
The party claimed that Atiku’s lawyers received and acknowledged Tinubu’s defence on September 15, but yet, his legal team still went ahead to ask the judge for the substituted service order the very next day, without mentioning that the president was already actively defending himself.
The party stated plainly that it does not have the president’s permission to accept personal legal documents on his behalf, especially since his own lawyers are already on the job.
The APC accused the plaintiffs of engaging in media propaganda and using the court to harass the president.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has also fired back at the lawsuit. The electoral body asked the court to throw the case out, describing it as an abuse of the judicial process and stating that Atiku and the ADC lack the legal right to file the suit.
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