On Monday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), requested that the Supreme Court reject the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar’s request to provide President Bola Tiubu’s academic credentials as he seeks the removal of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the president of Nigeria.
To note, All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Tinubu was proclaimed winner of the hotly disputed 2023 presidential election by INEC. The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) also upheld his victory.
However, Tinubu’s victory is being contested in separate Supreme Court cases by Atiku and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
With new evidence gathered by Abubaker Atiku on Bola Tinubu’s academic records, it was also confirmed that CSU didn’t issue the certificate Bola Tinubu submitted to INEC. It is expected that Abubaker Atiku would want to inject these as he hopes to win over Bola Tinubu at the Supreme Court.
The PDP candidate and Chris Uche, SAN, his principal attorney, urged the court to accept their motion and grant their request, describing the situation as critical and constitutionally problematic.
SAN Uche argued that “the issue involving Mr. Tinubu’s certificate is a weighty, grave, and constitutional one, which the Supreme Court should admit. I urge the court to admit the fresh evidence of President Tinubu’s academic records from CSU presented by Atiku.”
Abubakar Mahmoud, the attorney for INEC, requested the Supreme Court reject Atiku’s request to produce Tinubu’s academic credentials.
Wole Olanipekun, SAN, Tinubu’s lead attorney, asserted that INEC ought to have been a party to the deposition procedures in the US, noting that CSU depositions are inactive until the deponent appears in court and gives a testimony.
Atiku cannot request new evidence before the Supreme Court, he informed the court.