COURT ORDERS INEC CHAIRMAN AMUPITAN TO PRODUCE TINUBU’S 1999, 2023 ELECTION DOCUMENTS IN SOWORE’S TRIAL
The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a subpoena compelling the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, to produce electoral documents submitted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the 1999 Lagos State governorship election and the 2023 presidential election.
The development is connected to the ongoing criminal trial of human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, who is facing prosecution over his description of President Tinubu as a criminal.
The subpoena, issued in charge number FHC/CR/484/2025, directs the INEC chairman to appear before the court, produce the requested documents and testify on behalf of the defendant.
According to reports and details of the court process, the documents sought include Tinubu’s INEC Form CF001 submitted when he contested the 1999 Lagos State governorship election, including an affidavit relating to lost certificates.
The second document is the Form CF001 submitted by Tinubu to INEC as a presidential candidate in the 2023 general election.
Justice Mohammed Garba Umar is identified as the presiding judge in the proceedings.
The defence is seeking to introduce the electoral records as part of its evidence in challenging the criminal allegations against Sowore.
Sowore reportedly disclosed the development after court proceedings on Monday, November 9, describing the appearance of the INEC chairman as significant to his defence.
The development comes amid other contentious proceedings in the case, including the court's rejection of the defence's attempt to compel the Department of State Services (DSS) lawyer, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, to testify.
However, the court subsequently granted the defence's request for subpoenas to be issued to Amupitan and All Progressives Congress chieftain, Chief Joe Igbokwe, as proposed defence witnesses.
The matter was reportedly adjourned until November 11, 2026, for the appearance of the subpoenaed witnesses.
The subpoena is expected to bring official electoral records relating to Tinubu's two political contests into the evidentiary proceedings.
It is important to stress that the request for these documents and their eventual production do not, in themselves, establish any wrongdoing by the President. Their relevance and evidentiary significance will be determined by the court in the course of the trial.
The proceedings are likely to attract considerable public attention because of the constitutional questions surrounding freedom of expression, criminal prosecution and the accountability of public officials.
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