Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress have taken steps to amend their lawsuit contesting President Bola Tinubu’s eligibility to run in the 2027 presidential election.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled October 13, 2026, to hear the application.
The All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission were also listed as parties in the suit.
Filed as FHC/ABJ/CS/1888/2026, the case was set for another mention before Justice Inyang Ekwo.
When the case was called, the plaintiffs’ counsel, Joseph Silas, informed the court that all the defendants had been served with the processes within the required timeframe. That the plaintiffs had received and replied to their processes.
Earlier, an earlier disagreement over service of the processes on the first defendant had halted proceedings in the case.
Counsel for the President, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), noted that at a prior hearing on September 1, 2026, the second defendant’s counsel, Popoola Owosanya, had volunteered to accept the court processes on behalf of the first defendant.
Olanipekun told the court that the plaintiffs’ counsel had turned down that offer. Later sought an order from the court allowing substituted service on Tinubu, claiming that the plaintiffs then tried to “deceive this court” by asserting they could not serve the first defendant.
Justice Ekwo, however, encouraged the lawyers to concentrate on the matter at hand.
Silas then notified the court of the plaintiffs’ application to amend their originating summons. He stated that counsel for the defendants had been notified of the application.
Having confirmed that the lawyers had in fact been served with the application, Justice Ekwo adjourned the case.
“This case is hereby adjourned until the 13th of October 2026, for hearing of the motion to amend the originating summons,” the judge ruled.
Atiku and the ADC filed the suit in August, contesting Tinubu’s eligibility to run in the 2027 presidential election.
Their case rests chiefly on an alleged discrepancy between the name on a National Youth Service Corps discharge certificate submitted to INEC and the President’s official name.
The allegation is among the substantive issues that the court has yet to decide.
