The Centre for Reform and Public Advocacy (CFRPA) has publicly condemned the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for ordering the transfer of a lawsuit challenging President Bola Tinubu's academic credentials from the Kano Judicial Division to the Abuja Division, describing the move as biased and designed to frustrate the case.
CFRPA Rejects Transfer Order as Biased
The civil society group, through its Head of Legal Unit, Kalu Kalu Agu, said it strongly rejects the transfer order, which was made following an application filed by lawyers acting on behalf of the president. The CFRPA filed suit number FHC/KN/CS/312/2026 in Kano on June 26, 2026, raising constitutional questions about the academic credentials President Tinubu submitted to qualify for office.
The suit specifically challenges the president's qualifications under Sections 131 and 137(1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, which set out the educational requirements for presidential candidates. The Chief Judge subsequently granted the request by Tinubu's lawyers to move the case from Kano to Abuja, a decision the CFRPA says it will resist.
Group Lists Three Reasons for Rejecting Transfer
The CFRPA outlined three main reasons for rejecting the transfer. First, the group argued that the speed with which the Chief Judge granted the application created a reasonable impression of preferential treatment towards the president and his legal team. Second, the group said many of its witnesses and members are based in Kano, making the move to Abuja a financial and logistical burden that could effectively shut them out of their own case. Third, it described the relocation as forum shopping, alleging that the transfer was a deliberate attempt to move proceedings to a location more comfortable for the sitting president while avoiding public attention in Kano.
“The judiciary must not only be impartial, it must be seen to be impartial,” the group said in its statement. “This transfer, done at the behest of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the President's lawyers, erodes public confidence in the independence of the Federal High Court.”
Group Demands Reversal and Questions President's Motives
The CFRPA is asking the Chief Judge to reverse the order immediately and allow the case to continue in Kano, where it was originally filed. Beyond the procedural objection, the group posed a pointed question to the president directly: “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?”
The group added that a leader who claims to represent all Nigerians should be willing to answer constitutional questions in any part of the country. The CFRPA said it remains committed to pursuing the matter through all lawful means and will continue to challenge what it described as attempts to undermine the course of justice.
