Court orders INEC chairman to produce Tinubu's 1999 and 2023 nomination forms in Sowore trial

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, to produce President Bola Tinubu's nomination documents in the trial of activist Omoyele Sowore.
The order
The subpoena, signed by Justice Mohammed Umar, directs the INEC chairman to present Tinubu's Form CF001 from his 1999 Lagos governorship campaign, which includes an affidavit relating to lost certificates, as well as the equivalent form submitted before the 2023 presidential election. It followed a ruling on Monday, 9 November 2026, approving a defence request to call Amupitan and Joe Igbokwe, a former publicity secretary of the APC in Lagos, as witnesses.
The case
Sowore, the publisher of Sahara Reporters and a former presidential candidate, is being tried over social media posts in which he described the President as a criminal. His lawyers say they intend to call both men to testify. The trial is due to resume on 11 November.
Background
Questions about Tinubu's academic records and early life have been raised by critics for years, and were the subject of legal challenges after the 2023 election, which the Supreme Court dismissed. The President and his supporters have consistently rejected claims of wrongdoing. Sowore has also faced other legal cases, including a separate cyberbullying trial in which a court recently rejected his bid to subpoena a DSS lawyer.
- The court subpoenaed the INEC chairman.
- He must produce Tinubu's 1999 and 2023 forms.
- Sowore's trial resumes on 11 November.

