Court admits Tinubu’s America varsity academic records from Atiku’s witness

The Presidential Election Petition Court sitting in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has admitted as exhibit the President Bola Tinubu’s academic records from the Chicago State University, United States of America.

Penpushing reports that Presidential Candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar tendered the documents while challenging the outcome of the 25 February, 2023 presidential election, having petitioned that the victory of Tinubu at the Presidential election should be overturn

The lead counsel of Atiku, Chris Uche, led the 27th witness, in evidence before the court on Friday, where the star witness at the proceedings,(Enahoro-Ebah), told the tribunal how he obtained several documents detailing Tinubu’s biodata.

Penpushing further reports that Enahoro-Ebah, who identified himself as a public interest litigator, explained that his attorney in United States of America (USA) obtained Tinubu’s academic records from Chicago State University.

The star witness added that the university was subpoenaed by a United States of America (USA) court to release Tinubu’s academic records, stressing that he obtained the academic records with a forwarding letter by his counsel based in Chicago.

‘I obtained the academic records from Chicago State University purporting to belong to Mr Tinubu with a forwarding letter by my counsel based in Chicago. A subpoena was issued to the Chicago State University, which gave out the Academic records. A copy of the actual degree certificate issued by Chicago State University and Mr Tinubu’s admission letter dated 1977 is attached’, he told the court.

Penpushing also reports that Enahoro-Ebah, emphasized that the degree certificate from Chicago State University bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle”, and also tendered Tinubu’s transcript from the South West College in America, arguing that the transcript, issued in 1977, identified Tinubu as a female

The five-member court headed by Justice Haruna Tsammani , however, admitted the documents as exhibits, while the legal teams of Tinubu, All Progressives Congress(APC), and Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) argued that the documents were not admissible and promised to give their grounds objection in their final addresses.

Penpushing reports that the court admitted the documents as exhibits and in addition, admitted a “notarised judgement of criminal forfeiture” of Tinubu’s assets over alleged drug trafficking in the United States of America (USA).

The Presidential Election Petition Court in similar development admitted a photocopy of Tinubu’s purported Guinean citizenship passport, which Enahoro-Ebah tendered, adding that he also obtained Tinubu’s biodata from Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which was tendered before the panel

Penpushing further reports that a certified true copy of Tinubu’s nomination form as flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the presidential election was presented as an exhibit, a form accompanied by a cover letter from the electoral commission and a payment receipt for the certification.

The star witness at the proceedings equally presented a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate bearing “Tinubu Bola Adekunle”, while the respondents’ lawyers in their responses objected to the admissibility of Tinubu’s records from both the United States of America (USA) and Nigeria.

Penpushing also reports that the counsel of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Abubakar Mahmoud, said reasons for his objection to the admissibility of the documents would be advanced at the close of arguments in the case.

The lead counsel for Tinubi,  Wole Olanipekun and  All Progressives Congress(APC’s) lawyer, Lateef Fagbemi, urged the court not to admit the documents in evidence, but no reasons were given as they promised to articulate their objection later.

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