By Yemi Oyeyemi, Abuja
The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in Abuja on Friday, admitted in evidence a transcript in aid of admission into Chicago State University made by South West College in the name of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was identified as a female.
The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and his party tendered the document along with other documents to prove the allegations in their joint petition challenging Tinubu’s declaration as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.
Other documents tendered and in evidence by the petitioners and admitted as exhibits by the Court are a certified true copy of a certificate supposedly issued to Tinubu by the Chicago State University, a certificate of service by the National Youth Services Corps (NYSC) issued in the name of Tinubu Bola Adekunle, party membership card and certificate of service from Mobile Oil Nigeria Plc.
Other documents tendered by the petitioners, in urging the court to nullify Tinubu’s election are, a notarised judgment of the USA Court for criminal forfeiture of asset of Tinubu as well as a print out of the Guinean passport belonging to Tinubu.
Also tendered were a certificate of compliance, a witness statement on oath, along with other documents to prove the allegations contained in their petition challenging the declaration of Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.
The lead counsel to the petitioners, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), while leading the 27th witness of the petitioners, Mr. Mike Enahoro-Eba, subpoened to come and testify in court, tendered the documents through the witness, who is an Abuja based human rights activist and public interest lawyer.
In a surprise move, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu vehemently objected against the admission of his Chicago State University Degree as exhibit by the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja.
He also kicked against tendering and admission as exhibit, his Republic of Guinea International passport in aid of the petition instituted against him by the Atiku and the PDP.
Similarly, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) joined in kicking against admission of the documents.
However, inspite of the stiff opposition, the Chairman of the Court, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani, admitted all the documents as exhibits.
Tinubu, INEC and APC who are the three respondents in the petition are to offer explanations for their objections to admission of the exhibits at the final stage of address of the proceedings.
Under cross-examination by the lead counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN), the witness, who said the election went on smoothly at the polling unit where he voted in Abuja, said he filed a suit against Tinubu at a Magistrate Court as human rights and public interest lawyer.
Earlier, the petitioners tendered certified true copies of Form EC8As, being results of the presidential election from polling units from six states of the Federation.
A breakdown of the documents are, Form EC8As from 25 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Delta state, Forms EC8As from 13 LGAs of Ebonyi state, Form EC8As from 18 LGAs of Edo, from 17 LGAs of Enugu, from 27 LGAs of Imo state and Form EC8As from 21 LGAs of Kogi state.
INEC, Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) raised objection to the admissibility of the election results and promised to give reasons for their objection at the final address stage.
The court however admitted the documents and marked them as exhibits.