Full Details: Court orders INEC chairman to produce Tinubu’s 1999 and 2023 election forms in Sowore’s trial

Sowore’s defence secured the order as part of his criminal trial.

INEC chairman Amupitan is expected to appear in court on November 11.

More than two decades after President Bola Tinubu contested his first governorship election, the documents he submitted to Nigeria’s electoral commission are set to return to public scrutiny, this time in a criminal trial involving activist Omoyele Sowore.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, to produce Tinubu’s electoral nomination documents from the 1999 Lagos State governorship election and the 2023 presidential election.

Justice Mohammed Garba Umar issued the order on Monday, November 9, 2026, following an application by Sowore’s defence team, which wants the records presented as evidence in his ongoing trial over social media comments about the President.

Amupitan has been directed to appear before the court on Wednesday, November 11, at 9 a.m., as well as the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Joe Igbokwe as a defence witness.

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The subpoena requires Amupitan to produce Tinubu’s Form CF001 and an accompanying affidavit concerning lost certificates, which he submitted when he contested the 1999 Lagos governorship election.

The defence also wants the Form CF001 Tinubu submitted for the 2023 presidential election.

Form CF001 is the nomination document through which political candidates provide personal information, including their educational qualifications, to INEC. The 1999 affidavit relates to certificates Tinubu reportedly declared lost when he submitted his nomination documents for the governorship election.

By obtaining the original records, Sowore’s lawyers could examine what the President declared about his educational qualifications in 1999 and compare it with the information contained in his 2023 presidential nomination form.

Tinubu’s educational history has attracted public scrutiny for years, particularly during the build-up to the 2023 presidential election. His affidavit concerning lost certificates has also featured prominently in political debates about his qualifications.

The request for the electoral documents is part of Sowore’s defence against criminal charges arising from his criticism of Tinubu.

The dispute began on August 25, 2025, when Tinubu reportedly declared during a visit to Brazil that his administration had ended corruption in Nigeria.

Sowore disagreed with the President’s claim. In a post on his verified X account, the activist described Tinubu as a criminal and accused him of lying about the state of corruption in the country.

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The Department of State Services (DSS) took issue with the publication, accusing Sowore of spreading false information capable of causing a breakdown of law and order and threatening public safety.

The security agency subsequently initiated criminal proceedings against him under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, as amended in 2024.

In May 2026, Justice Umar dismissed Sowore’s no-case submission, ruling that the prosecution had presented sufficient preliminary evidence to require him to enter his defence.

The court consequently directed Sowore to open his defence, leading to the latest application for INEC to produce Tinubu’s electoral records.

Amupitan and Igbokwe are expected to appear before the Federal High Court on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.

The INEC chairman is expected to produce the specified electoral documents, while Igbokwe has also been summoned to testify for the defence. The precise subject of Igbokwe’s proposed testimony has not been fully established in published reports.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan There is, however, a question over whether Amupitan has received the subpoena. During a press conference on November 9, the INEC chairman reportedly said the commission had not received the court order. He added that INEC would examine it and determine the appropriate steps after receiving it.