COMBO: President Bola Tinubu (L), former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, and the Chicago State University logo.
“Atiku Seeks Permission to Present Fresh Evidence Against Tinubu’s Alleged Forged Documents at Supreme Court
Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has applied for permission from the Supreme Court to introduce new evidence in his ongoing case against President Bola Tinubu. Atiku’s move is aimed at supporting his claim that Tinubu submitted forged documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to qualify for the 2023 presidential election.
In the motion filed by his legal team, Atiku contends that Tinubu’s actions amount to forgery and perjury, justifying his removal from office by the Supreme Court.
The pivotal piece of evidence Atiku seeks to introduce is Tinubu’s academic records, obtained from Chicago State University on October 2, 2023. These records, a 32-page document, were released under the orders of Judge Nancy Maldonado of the District Court of Illinois, Eastern Division, United States.
Atiku’s application is grounded in Order 2, Rule 12(1) of the Supreme Court Rules 1985, Section 137(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and the inherent jurisdiction of the apex court as encapsulated in Section 6(6)(a) of the 1999 Constitution.
Although the application is dated October 5, it was formally submitted by Atiku’s legal team on Friday night.
FILES: PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, at the Presidential Elections Petitions Tribunal Abuja for a pre-hearing on May 11, 2023.
Atiku’s plea to the court is for permission “to produce and for the court to receive fresh and additional evidence by way of deposition on oath from the Chicago State University.” This deposition, made by Caleb Westberg on behalf of the university on October 3, 2023, disavows the certificate presented by Tinubu to INEC. Atiku also requests the court to accept this deposition as an exhibit and make any necessary orders to address the situation.
The application lists 20 grounds, emphasizing the deposition’s potential to significantly impact the case. It asserts that the evidence clearly shows that Tinubu’s certificate was not issued by Chicago State University and that the individual who issued it lacked the university’s authority. Furthermore, Tinubu never applied for nor received a replacement certificate from the university.
Atiku contends that presenting a forged certificate to INEC constitutes a serious offense. The Supreme Court has yet to schedule a hearing date for this motion.”
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