The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has submitted evidence of President Bola Tinubu’s alleged forgery to the Supreme Court, where he seeks to overturn the president’s victory in the February 25, 2023 election.
On September 6, 2023, the presidential elections court, struck out Mr Abubakar’s petitions asserting they were too weak to unseat the president.
Undaunted, Mr Abubakar, approached a U.S. federal court to subpoena CSU for Mr Tinubu’s educational records in his quest to prove that the diploma Mr Tinubu tendered to Nigeria’s electoral body, INEC, was a forgery.
The CSU registrar, Mr Westberg, swore under oath that Mr Tinubu did, in fact, attend and graduate from CSU, but that the university is unable to vouch for the authenticity of the diploma that was submitted to INEC because they did not issue it.
The legal team for Mr Abubakar, led by senior attorney Chris Uche, has now submitted the deposition of Mr Westberg’s testimony to the Supreme Court.
Citing the case of UZODINMA vs. IZUNASO (2011), Mr Abubakar reminded the apex court of its decision to allow Mr Olanipekun admit new evidence in his appeal after pleading that he could not assemble the evidence at the initial court of trial.
“Learned counsel for the Appellant, Chief W. Olanipekun SAN observed that trial took just three days and judgement was delivered on 28/l/2011, he thus had very little time to assemble relevant documentary evidence, including exhibit HU2.”
Then the apex court had ruled that “the discretion to grant leave to admit new evidence, fresh evidence or additional evidence” was “properly exercised” since it was for the “furtherance of justice.”
