The Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, sitting in Abuja, has admitted in evidence a transcript in aid of admission into Chicago State University made by South West College in the name of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was identified as a female gender.
The Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, sitting in Abuja, has admitted in evidence a transcript in aid of admission into Chicago State University made by South West College in the name of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was identified as a female gender.
The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and his party tendered the document yesterday along with other documents to prove the allegations in a petition challenging Tinubu’s declaration as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.
Chief Chris Uche (SAN), while leading the 27th witness of the petitioners, Mr. Mike Enahoro-Eba, tendered in evidence, and were admitted as exhibits by the court, a certified true copy of a certificate supposedly issued to Tinubu by the Chicago State University, a certificate of service by the National Youth Services Corps (NYSC) issued in the name of Tinubu Bola Adekunle, party membership card and certificate of service from Mobile Oil Nigeria Plc.
Other documents tendered by the petitioners, in urging the court to nullify Tinubu’s election are, a notarised judgment of the USA court for criminal forfeiture of asset of Tinubu as well as a print out of the Guinea passport belonging to Tinubu.
Also tendered were a certificate of compliance, a witness statement on oath, along with other documents to prove the allegations contained in their petition challenging the declaration of Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.
Mr. Mike Enahoro-Eba, a subpoenaed witness who testified in court, when led under cross examination by the lead counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN), said the election went on smoothly at the polling unit where he voted in Abuja.
INEC, Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) who were listed as respondents in the petition marked, CA/PEPC/05/2023, raised objection to the admissibility of the documents and promised to give reasons for their objection at the final address stage.
The court, however, admitted the documents and marked them as exhibits.
During cross-examination of a witness by Wole Olanipekun, SAN, lead counsel to Tinubu, the witness admitted that he had earlier instituted a criminal charge against the 2nd defendant (Tinubu) at Federal Capital Territory magistrate court. The witness said the charge, which is marked, CR/121/2022, was declined jurisdiction by the court.
APC’s lead counsel, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, while cross-examining the witness, asked if the acclaimed copy of judgment has any certification or signature of police officers or a fingerprint of anybody, but the witness said copies of judgment don’t necessarily required fingerprints or pictures for authentication.
Meanwhile, citing section 46 (5) of the Electoral Act 2022, Uche, SAN, lead counsel to Atiku, moved an application to formally close the case brought by former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubukar against President Bola Tinubu.
Consequently, PEPC, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, adjourned the petition to July 3 for the respondents to open their defence.
Guardian