The Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled December 11, 2023, for the hearing of a certificate forgery case involving Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, one of President Bola Tinubu’s ministers.
The suit seeks the disqualification of Tunji-Ojo as the interior minister on allegations of forgery of his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate.
Justice Emeka Nwite granted leave to hear the case in a suit filed by an applicant, Oladotun Hassan. The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/C5/1155/2023, names Tunji-Ojo as the first respondent, President Tinubu as the second respondent, and others.
The court documents outline the orders sought by the applicant, including an order for the quashing of findings/review/proceedings dated August 7, 2023, in which Tunji-Ojo was screened and confirmed as a minister. The applicant seeks declarations that Tunji-Ojo failed to fulfill the conditions precedent under the NYSC Act and that the NYSC discharge certificate presented is null and void.
The court has granted an order setting aside the purported swearing-in of Tunji-Ojo as the minister and issued an order of injunction restraining the respondents from recognizing or giving effect to his appointment and confirmation pending the determination of the substantive matter.
The case arises from a scandal over Tunji-Ojo’s NYSC certificate, with Senator Sadiq Umar pointing out irregularities during his Senate screening. Tunji-Ojo dismissed the concerns, stating that he was remobilized by the NYSC 12 years after leaving the service.
