TRIBUNAL: Tinubu Submits US Academic Records To Counter Atiku’s Claim He Attended College As Female

The legal team of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, led by Wole Olanipekun SAN opened their defense on Tuesday in the petition filed by the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic party, Atiku Abubakar, which seeks to nullify his client’s electoral victory on the grounds of alleged corrupt practices, non-qualification and non-compliance to relevant electoral laws.

Olanipekun started by tendering some set of documents to counter PDP’s allegations that Tinubu used forged documents and holds Guinea passport.

Other allegations include using wrong names and entering forfeiture proceedings in the United State.

The tribunal will also determine the status of the FCT in relation to the presidential election.

THE WHISTLER reports that on June 28, the PDP tendered in evidence Tinubu’s academic records from Chicago State University, a subpoena that was served on the university through a lawyer in US, copy of the actual degree certificate issued by Chicago State University to Tinubu, his undergraduate certificate from the said university in 1977, and a South West College Transcript allegedly issued to Tinubu, where he was identified as a female.

Those documents were admitted in evidence as Atiku’s exhibits by the court among others.

But at the resumed hearing on Tuesday, Olanipekun tendered the letter from the Nigeria Police to the United States Embassy dated July 3, 2003, reply to that letter in 2003 and 12 documents all in relation to Tinubu’s educational records from Chicago State University which were certified by Jamaal Cor, Associate General Counsel, Office of Legal Affairs, Chicago State University.

Other documents he tendered are the Immigration documents and visa to the United States of Tinubu between 2011 and 2021, duly certified by Nigeria Immigration Service on July 3, 2023.

He also tendered the “Report of the committee on the location of the Federal Capital Territory duly certified by the Records of Archive and History Bureau of the FCT on April 13, 2023”, Form EC8D(single sheet from which the INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu declared Tinubu as president-elect on March 1) and Form EC8D(A) in respect of Kano state.

The remaining documents he tendered were CTC Originating summons in a Supreme Court case (CS/CV/354/2023) on February 28, 2023 filed by the Attorney-Generals of Akwa Ibom and 4 others, and CTCs of various newspapers (from This Day, Daily Sun, The Punch, The Nation ).

Counsel for the PDP, N. Rabana SAN, raised objection to all the documents but reserved her comments till the time of final address in line with the pre-hearing report directive of the PEPC.

The legal team of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and the All Progressives Congress backed the tendering of the documents.

The five-man panel of the court led by Justice Haruna Tsammani admitted all the documents as Tinubu’s evidence.

After that, Olanipekun told the court that “having laid foundation for our case, we will continue documentary evidence tomorrow.”

The lead counsel of the PDP, Chris Uche SAN initially expressed displeasure that Olanipekun was not calling any witness today but finally agreed with Olanipekun’s submission for adjournment till tomorrow for continuation of hearing.

The court subsequently adjourned to Wednesday.