Tinubu certificate case: Plaintiff rejects transfer from Kano to Abuja

By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA — Civil rights group, Centre for Reform and Public Advocacy (CFRPA), has rejected the transfer of its suit challenging President Bola Tinubu’s academic credentials from the Kano Division to the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court.

The group described the transfer as a development that could undermine public confidence in the judiciary, alleging that it created an appearance of preferential treatment for the President and his legal team.

In a statement by the Head of its Legal Unit, Kalu Kalu Agu, CFRPA said the transfer followed an application by lawyers representing Tinubu.

The group said the manner in which the transfer was granted had raised “a reasonable apprehension of bias” on the part of the Office of the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court.

CFRPA had, on June 26, 2026, instituted suit No. FHC/KN/CS/312/2026, The Incorporated Trustees and Reform and Public Advocacy v. Bola Ahmed Tinubu & 2 Ors, before the Federal High Court in Kano.

The suit challenges the academic credentials presented by Tinubu and raises constitutional questions under Sections 131 and 137(1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

Rejecting the transfer, CFRPA cited what it described as the denial of access to justice, noting that many of its members and witnesses reside in Kano.

According to the group, relocating the case to Abuja would impose additional financial and logistical burdens on the plaintiff and its witnesses.

“Kano is where many of our witnesses and members reside,” the group said, adding that moving the case to Abuja “imposes unnecessary hardship, cost, and inconvenience on the Plaintiff and is designed to frustrate the case.”

CFRPA also alleged that the transfer amounted to forum shopping, claiming that the move “appears to be a deliberate attempt to shop for a more convenient forum for Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is the sitting President and to avoid public scrutiny in Kano.”

The group maintained that the judiciary must not only be impartial but must also be seen to be impartial.

It argued that the transfer, which it said was granted “at the behest of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the President’s lawyers,” could erode public confidence in the independence of the Federal High Court.

CFRPA therefore called on the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to reverse the transfer order and allow the case to continue in Kano, where it was initially filed.

The group also questioned why the President should be reluctant to defend the allegations in Kano if he had nothing to hide.

“If Mr President has nothing to hide regarding the allegations of forgery of academic credentials, why is he afraid of going to the North to stand trial and defend himself in Kano?” it asked.

CFRPA added that “a leader who claims to represent all Nigerians should not be afraid to answer constitutional questions in any part of Nigeria.”

The group reaffirmed its commitment to the rule of law, constitutionalism and accountability in public office, saying it would pursue all lawful avenues to challenge what it described as any attempt to undermine the case.

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