In an effort to counter the disqualification request made by the Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Gregory Obi, President Bola Tinubu and his Deputy, Kashim Shetima, submitted 18 exhibits at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPEC) to prove their eligibility for the upcoming 2023 Presidential Election.
Tinubu, for the second time within 24 hours, presented his records from Chicago State University to the Court, while Shetima submitted his letter of withdrawal from the Borno South Senatorial race after being chosen as the Vice Presidential candidate.
The exhibits were presented by Tinubu and Shetima to refute allegations of their lack of qualifications for the 2023 presidential election.
Under the representation of their lead counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, Tinubu separately provided a letter dated February 3, 2003, signed by former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Tafa Balogun, which requested the criminal records of Bola Ahmed Tinubu from the Embassy of the United States of America (USA) in Nigeria.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, where they commenced their defense against the joint petition of the LP and Obi, Tinubu presented another letter from the US Embassy, which stated that they did not possess any criminal records of Tinubu in response to the Police letter.
While the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not object to the admission of the documents as exhibits, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, strongly opposed their inclusion.
Despite the objections raised by the PDP and Atiku, the Court accepted the documents as exhibits to determine the veracity of Tinubu’s attendance at Chicago State University and to investigate whether he had been convicted of any drug offenses in the United States, as alleged by Obi and his party.
Obi and the Labour Party based their joint petition on the grounds that Tinubu lacked the necessary educational qualifications and had been convicted of drug-related offenses by a US court, among other claims.
Similar exhibits were admitted by the Court on Tuesday in a separate petition filed by Alhaji Abubakar Atiku and the PDP, who also sought Tinubu’s removal from the presidential race on the same grounds.
In addition to providing records of his educational background and absence of criminal convictions, Tinubu submitted several US visas to establish his frequent visits to America, along with clearances obtained from the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
Meanwhile, the defense has concluded its presentation of witnesses.