Court Reportedly Orders INEC Chairman Amupitan to Produce Tinubu’s 1999, 2023 Election Documents in Sowore’s Trial
By KEMI KASUMU
Sowore disclosed the development in a Facebook post on Monday, November 9, 2026, where he shared copies of the subpoena and a hearing notice reportedly served on the INEC chairman.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has reportedly issued a subpoena directing the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, to appear before it and produce electoral documents relating to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s governorship candidacy in 1999 and presidential election in 2023.
The subpoena was issued in connection with the ongoing criminal trial of human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, over his description of President Tinubu as a criminal.
Sowore disclosed the development in a Facebook post on Monday, November 9, 2026, where he shared copies of the subpoena and a hearing notice reportedly served on the INEC chairman.
The court document, titled Subpoena Duces Tecum, directs Amupitan to produce two sets of electoral documents submitted by Tinubu to INEC.
They include the INEC Form CF01 submitted by Tinubu as a candidate in the 1999 Lagos State governorship election, alongside an affidavit concerning lost certificates, and his Form CF01 submitted for the 2023 presidential election.
The subpoena, issued in Charge No. FHC/CR/484/2025, directs the INEC chairman to appear before the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, Courtroom 5, at 9:00 a.m. on October 26, 2026, and remain in attendance until the matter is determined.
It also requires him to produce the specified documents and testify on behalf of Sowore, who is the defendant in the criminal proceedings instituted by the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The subpoena was dated October 26, 2026, while a separate court filing seeking its issuance was dated October 23, 2026. The documents identify Justice Mohammed Garba Umar as the presiding judge.
By seeking the intervention of the court, Sowore is asking INEC to provide official electoral records relating to Tinubu’s submissions for the two elections.
The documents could become relevant to the proceedings as the court considers the issues arising from the activist’s remarks about the President.
The development brings INEC’s custody of the electoral documents relating to Tinubu’s 1999 and 2023 candidacies into focus in the ongoing trial.
