President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Tinubu tenders Chicago admission letter. On Tuesday, the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja allowed as exhibits President Bola Tinubu’s Chicago State University academic records, as well as a variety of other documents.
Tinubu presented the documents before the tribunal via his legal team, which was directed by Wole Olanipekun (SAN).
In response to petitions by the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, disputing his (Tinubu’s) win in the February 25 presidential election, the President launched his defense on Tuesday, in accordance with the tribunal’s Monday ruling.
Olanipekun also presented Tinubu’s US visa during the Tuesday hearings.
Olanipekun presented Tinubu’s Chicago State University academic records, which included a letter of admission from the college.
Also presented were documentation from the Nigeria Immigration Service, which, according to Olanipekun, cleared Tinubu for US trips, proving that he visited the US without incident between 2011 and 2021.
The court also submitted as exhibit a letter from the US Embassy to the Nigeria Police on April 4, 2003, noting that the US Embassy had no criminal records of Tinubu in the US.
Aside from educational documents, Tinubu also provided media articles on a number of cases filed against him by various organisations.
The court also accepted the Originating Summons of a complaint filed in the Supreme Court by the Attorneys General of Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, and Sokoto states, which challenged Tinubu’s candidacy for the 2023 presidential election.
The court, presided over by Justice Haruna Tsammani, postponed further proceedings until today (Wednesday).
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission started and closed its defense in the petition brought by the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, on the integrity of the February 25 presidential election on Tuesday.
After calling the first witness, Lawrence Bayode, an assistant director in charge of INEC’s ICT department, at the resumed hearing on Tuesday morning, counsel for INEC, A.B. Mahmoud (SAN), proceeded to close its defence in the petition.
Bayode testified in support of the commission’s defense against the PDP and Atiku’s appeal on Monday.
Tinubu and his vice, Kassim Shetima, were delayed until Wednesday (today) to begin their defense in Obi’s plea.