Presidential Election Tribunal: President Tinubu, VP Shettima Tender 18 Exhibits

Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Vice President Kashim Shettima on Wednesday at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPEC) tendered 18 exhibits to defend their election victory in the 2023 Presidential Election.

The Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, are challenging the victory of Tinubu and Shetima at the court.

While Tinubu for the second time in less than 24 hours, presented his records at the Chicago State University to the Court, Shetima tendered his letter of withdrawal from the Borno South Senatorial race upon being picked to be Vice Presidential candidate.

The exhibits were tendered by Tinubu and Shettima to the court to debunk allegations of non-qualifications to stand for the 2023 Presidential election.

Through their lead counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, Tinubu separately put at the disposal of the Court a letter of February 3, 2003, signed by a former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Tafa Balogun requesting for the criminal records of Bola Ahmed Tinubu from the Embassy of the United States of America USA in Nigeria.

President Tinubu through his counsel also tendered another letter from the US Embassy which in response to the Police letter, claimed not to have any criminal records of Tinubu.

While counsels to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress APC did not object to tendering and admitting the documents as exhibits, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku vehemently kicked against the admission of the documents.

However, in spite of the objection by PDP and Atiku, the Court admitted the documents as exhibits.

Obi and Labour Party had predicated their joint petition seeking nullification of President Tinubu’s election on the ground of not having requisite educational qualification and conviction for drug-related offences by a US Court among others.

Similar exhibits had on Tuesday been admitted by the same Court but in a different petition of Alhaji Abubakar Atiku and PDP who are also asking the Court to kick out Tinubu from the Presidency on the same grounds.

Besides the records on educational background and absence of criminal conviction, Tinubu tendered several US visas to establish his frequent visits to America and clearances obtained from the Nigeria Immigration Service NIS.

Meanwhile, the defence has been stepped down for witness calling.

N.O