CSO Petitions IGP, Demands Arrest Of Tinubu For Alleged Perjury

… It’s Blackmail –Tinubu

For alleged discrepancies in his academic qualifications filed with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in 1999, a civil society organization, Center for Reform and Public Advocacy, said it has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police demanding Tinubu’s arrest within 48 hours.

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The group demanded immediate initiation of criminal prosecution against Tinubu after his arrest for allegedly supplying false academic qualifications in 1999.

At a Press Conference on Saturday in Abuja, the Legal Adviser of the CRPA and human rights lawyer, Agu Kalu, threatened that if the IGP failed to act, the group will institute a court action for an order of mandamus to compel him to effect the arrest.

Kalu said, “We wrote a petition to the IG on June 16, demanding the prosecution of Tinubu for providing false information on oath in his INEC form CF 001 which he submitted in 1999.

“Since the IG is yet to act on the petition, we are using this press conference to call on the IG to do the needful, he is not above the law, nobody is above the law, Sections 191 and 192 makes it a criminal offence to provide false information on oath.

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“We are also calling on President Buhari to direct the IG to arrest and prosecute Tinubu for perjury, it is a very serious issue.”

The petitioner presented a Certified True Copy ad-hoc report of the Lagos State House of Assembly, which investigated the former governor in 1999 saying that Tinubu clearly admitted discrepancies in his academic qualifications.

THE WHISTLER had reported that Tinubu had admitted to the discrepancies as “errors” by a third party while rushing to fill the forms on deadline.

He said it was due “to crisis in the Allainace for Democracy” at the time during his defence before the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Kalu emphasized that nobody was above the law under the constitution and demanded that the police must perform its constitutional role without fear or favour.

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The lawyer informed that among vital documents attached to the petition delivered to the IGP and acknowledged by his office included the forms submitted to INEC by Tinubu in 1999 and 2022 for verification.

However, the Director of Legal Directorate of the Tinubu Campaign Organisation, Babatunde Ogala, responded by telling journalists soon after the press conference when contacted that the allegations were mere blackmail.

He said, “There is nothing to respond to them, the Electoral Act is clear. We are waiting, let them go, let them bring the writ, we will defend it. I think we have gone past this stage of some people on social media, for whatever reason in the media, issuing threats.

“If they have anything, let them bring it. As far as we are concerned, our candidate has complied fully with the provisions of the Electoral Act. If they want to go to court, let them go to court. But we must also let them know that we are not unconscious of the laws of defamation in the country. We know the difference between a court process that is privileged and making unfounded allegations in the Newspapers like they are doing now.

“But honestly, our candidate is not perturbed, he can’t be bothered by all these threats. If they want to go to court, let them go to court. When they come, we will react appropriately to the court process. What we know, we have complied fully with the provisions of the law and we will not be blackmailed and intimidated.”

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