Tinubu, Shettima Tender LP Register To Prove Obi Not Party Member

THE Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC) has admitted as exhibits, the Chicago State University credentials of President Bola Tinubu, who formally opened his defence in a petition filed against his victory by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Abubakar Atiku.

At the resumed hearing, Tinubu, through his lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), tendered the admission letter offered to him by the institution, his Chicago State University credentials and his American visa documents to prove that he visited the United States unhindered between 2011 and 2021 and that he attended and graduated from the university.

Tinubu tendered the documents to debunk allegations of criminality contained in the petition against him and made available to the court, all documents of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) that cleared him for the US trips.

Also admitted as exhibit was the US Embassy letter of April 4, 2003 in response to a letter from the Nigeria Police Force, dated February 3, 2003, showing that the embassy had no criminal records of Tinubu in the US.

The documents were admitted, despite objections against their admissibility by the PDP and  Abubakar, but 1st and 3rd respondents in the petition, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), did not object to the admission of all the documents.

Besides the educational records, the court also admitted an originating summons of a suit instituted at the Supreme Court by the attorneys general of Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo And Sokoto states, challenging Tinubu’s educational background and qualification ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

  In addition, Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima tendered a copy of the Labour Party (LP) membership register for Anambra State to prove that Peter Obi was not a registered member of the party.

The duo had argued, in response to the Obi and LP’s petition, that, not being a member of the party as at the time of the last presidential election, Obi was not qualified to have contested the last election on the platform of the LP.

Olanipekun tendered the document along with LP’s letter, dated April 25, 2022, forwarding the membership register to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the commencement of their defence of Tinubu and Shettima in the petition by Obi and the LP, despite objection by the petitioners’ lawyer, Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), and they were admitted and marked them as Exhibits RA17 and RA18.

Thereafter, Olanipekun sought for an adjournment to enable his team call oral witnesses.