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Court Orders INEC Chairman To Produce Tinubu’s 1999, 2023 Election Records In Sowore’s Trial
Court Orders INEC Chairman To Produce Tinubu‘s 1999, 2023 Election Records In Sowore’s Trial
The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a subpoena directing the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, to appear before it and produce electoral documents relating to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s governorship candidacy in 1999 and presidential candidacy in 2023.
The subpoena was issued in connection with the ongoing criminal trial of human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, over his statements describing President Tinubu as a criminal.
According to court documents obtained by our reporters, the subpoena, dated October 26, 2026, was issued by Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, in Charge No. FHC/CR/484/2025, between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Omoyele Sowore.
The subpoena, titled: “Subpoena Duces Tecum,” specifically commands the INEC chairman to produce two sets of documents relating to Tinubu’s electoral declarations.
The first is INEC Form CF001, including the “Affidavit in Respect of Lost Certificates,” submitted by Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a candidate in the 1999 Lagos State governorship election.
The second is INEC Form CF001 submitted by Tinubu as a candidate in the 2023 presidential election.
The documents are being sought by Sowore’s defence team as part of its case in the ongoing criminal proceedings.
The court directed Professor Amupitan to appear at Courtroom No. 5, Fourth Floor, Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, at 9am on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, to produce the specified documents and testify on behalf of the defendant.
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The subpoena states, “You are hereby commanded in the name of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to attend before the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division.”
The legal process was initiated on behalf of Sowore by his defence lawyers, led by Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN, alongside Ugochika Akunna Njoku, Esq.
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The significance of the subpoena lies in the defence team’s attempt to bring Tinubu’s historical electoral declarations and documentation before the court as evidence in a criminal case arising from Sowore’s public statements about the President.
By seeking both the 1999 governorship documents and the 2023 presidential election records, the defence is pursuing official electoral records spanning more than two decades.
The request specifically includes Tinubu’s 1999 affidavit concerning lost certificates, a document relevant to longstanding public controversies surrounding his educational credentials and declarations.
The development introduces a significant evidentiary dimension to Sowore’s trial, potentially bringing official records concerning Tinubu’s electoral history under judicial scrutiny.
The case forms part of the criminal proceedings instituted against Sowore following his public criticism of President Tinubu. The proceedings have attracted widespread attention over questions of freedom of expression, political dissent and the use of criminal prosecution against government critics.
In a related development, a hearing notice was served on Professor Joash Amupitan on Monday, November 9, 2026, requiring him to appear before the court on Wednesday to testify.
The order followed the issuance of a subpoena dated October 26, 2026, by Justice Mohammed Garba Umar in Charge No. FHC/CR/484/2025, between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Sowore.
The subpoena, titled: “Subpoena Duces Tecum,” directs Amupitan to produce two sets of electoral documents submitted by Tinubu to INEC.
They include Form CF001 and an affidavit concerning lost certificates submitted by Tinubu as a candidate in the 1999 Lagos State governorship election, as well as his Form CF001 submitted for the 2023 presidential election.
Sowore’s defence team is seeking the documents as part of its evidence in the criminal proceedings arising from the activist’s description of Tinubu as a criminal.
The court directed the INEC chairman to appear at Courtroom 5, Fourth Floor, Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, at 9am on November 11, to produce the documents and testify on behalf of the defendant.
The subpoena states, “You are hereby commanded in the name of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to attend before the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division.”
The legal process was initiated by Sowore’s defence team, led by Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN, alongside Ugochika Akunna Njoku.
In a related development, a hearing notice was served on Amupitan on Monday, November 9, directing him to appear before the court on Wednesday to testify.
The documents sought by the defence cover Tinubu’s electoral declarations spanning more than two decades, including the 1999 affidavit relating to lost certificates, an issue that has featured in public controversies surrounding the President’s educational credentials.
The criminal case against Sowore arose from his public statements about Tinubu and has drawn attention to issues surrounding freedom of expression, political criticism and the prosecution of government critics.
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