Politics
BREAKING: Atiku Files New Evidence Against Tinubu At Supreme Court
Atiku based his request for permission to submit new evidence against Tinubu…
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) has asked the Supreme Court for permission to present what he calls new evidence.
VerseNews reports that Atiku claimed in a motion he filed through his legal team that the proof he intends to present to the Supreme Court would support his claim that President Bola Tinubu submitted forged documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to support his eligibility to run in the February 25 presidential election.
According to the former vice president, President Tinubu committed the crimes of forgery and perjury by what he did, and as a result, the Supreme Court should have removed him from office.
In particular, Atiku asked the court for permission to present Tinubu’s academic records, which he claimed were given to him by Chicago State University (CSU) on October 2, 2023.
The 32-page document was released by the CSU, in accordance with the motion, under the direction of Judge Nancy Maldonado of the District Court of Illinois, Eastern Division, Illinois, United States of America.
Atiku based his request for permission to submit new evidence against Tinubu on Order 2, Rule 12(1) of the Supreme Court Rules 1985, Section 137(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as the inherent jurisdiction of the supreme court as stated in Section 6(6)(a) of the 1999 Constitution.
The filing procedure was completed on Friday night, even though the application was dated October 5.
The PDP presidential candidate basically prayed the court for an order granting him leave “to produce and for the court to receive fresh and additional evidence by way of deposition on oath from the Chicago State University for use in this appeal to wit: the certified discovery deposition made by Caleb Westberg on behalf of Chicago State University on October 3, 2023, disclaiming the certificate presented by the 2nd respondent, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the Independent National Electoral Commission.”
He equally prayed for the apex court to “receive the said deposition in evidence as exhibit in the resolution of this appeal,” and to further make order or orders the apex court may deem fit to make in the circumstances of the case.
The application was predicated on 20 grounds, among which included a claim that the deposition sought to be adduced along with its accompanying documents, “would have important effect in the resolution of this appeal.”
“The deposition is relevant to this matter, having confirmed that the certificate presented by the 2nd Respondent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did not emanate from Chicago State University, and that whoever issued the certificate presented by the 2nd Respondent, did not have the authority of the Chicago State University, and that the 2nd Respondent never applied for any replacement certificate nor was he issued any replacement certificate by the Chicago State University.
“The deposition which is on oath and deposed to in the presence of the 2nd Respondent’s Attorney is credible and believable, and ought to be believed.
“The deposition is clear and unambiguous, and no further evidence is needed to be adduced on it.
“The evidence is such that could not have been obtained with reasonable diligence for use at the trial, as the deposition required the commencement of the suit in the United States of America before receiving same. It was not possible to obtain the said evidence before the trial at the Court below.
“The deposition was made on October 3, 2023, after the conclusion of trial at the Court below, and was not available to be tendered at the trial,” Atiku averred.
He contends that “the presentation of a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission by a candidate for election to the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The Supreme Court has yet to fix a date for the motion to be heard.