Court Dismisses Certificate Forgery Suit Against Tinubu

Justice Obiora Egwuatu, in a judgement, held that the suit instituted by AA was statute-barred, having not been commenced within the mandatory 14 days provided for under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended by the Fourth Alteration-Act).

Justice Egwuatu said the suit had become academic and grossly incompetent, hence, the court lacked the requisite jurisdiction to entertain it or grant the reliefs sought by the plaintiff.

The judge, who said that the plaintiff lacked locus standi to file the suit, also held that it acted like a busybody, having interfered in the internal affairs of another party.

The judge consequently dismissed the suit for constituting an abuse of the court process.

The AA, in a suit, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/954/2022, had sued the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APC and Tinubu as 1st to 3rd defendants respectively.

In a writ of summons dated and filed on June 21 by its lawyer, U.O. Ukairo, AA prayed the court to declare that the claim of the 3rd defendant (Tinubu) that he attended Government College, Ibadan and the University of Chicago on his INEC FORM CF 001 in 1999 which he presented to the 1st defendant (INEC) was false.