Court Rules NYSC Discharge Certificate Not a Requirement for Contesting Guber Election

Following a pre-election suit against the Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, by a former senator, Iyabo Anisulowo, a Federal High Court in Abuja has said a candidate cannot be disqualified from an election for failure to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.

Premium Times reports that the court dismissed Abiodun’s notice of preliminary objection and proceeded to deliver judgment on the substantive suit, citing that Abiodun did not present false academic claims to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), neither does the Electoral Act stipulate that a candidate who failed to participate in the NYSC scheme be disqualified from elections.

The presentation of the NYSC discharge certificate is a requirement for employment into the formal sector in Nigeria.

The court further stated that Abiodun has not breached Section 177 of the Constitution which enables a candidate contest for governorship if “he/she is a Nigerian by birth, is 35 and above, is a member of a political party and has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.”