In his pursuit to remove President Bola Tinubu from office, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has applied to the Supreme Court for permission to introduce fresh evidence.
Atiku, represented by a legal team led by Chief Chris Uche, SAN, alleges that President Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) submitted forged documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to qualify for the presidential election that took place on February 25.
Atiku asserts that President Tinubu's actions amount to forgery and perjury, making him deserving of removal from office by the Supreme Court. Specifically, Atiku seeks the court's permission to present Tinubu's academic records, which he claims were provided to him by Chicago State University (CSU) on October 2, 2023. These documents, comprising 32 pages, were released by CSU on the orders of Judge Nancy Maldonado of the District Court of Illinois, Eastern Division, Illinois, United States of America.
Atiku's application is based on 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 encapsulated in section 6(6)(a) of the 1999 Constitution.
Although the application is dated October 5, Atiku's legal team finalized the filing process on a Friday night. Atiku requests the court to grant him leave to produce fresh and additional evidence through a deposition on oath from Chicago State University. This deposition, made by Caleb Westberg on behalf of the university on October 3, 2023, disclaims the certificate presented by Bola Ahmed Tinubu to INEC. Atiku also requests the court to accept this deposition as evidence and make any necessary orders.
The application is based on 20 grounds, including a claim that the deposition, along with its accompanying documents, would significantly impact the case. Atiku argues that the evidence confirms that the certificate presented by President Tinubu to INEC did not originate from Chicago State University, and the entity that issued the certificate did not have the university's authority. Atiku contends that the presentation of a forged certificate to INEC is a weighty constitutional matter requiring the court's consideration.
The Supreme Court has yet to
set a date for the motion's hearing.
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