The Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 elections Atiku Abubakar has declared that there were discrepancies in the certificate President Bola Tinubu submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which should have rendered him ineligible to contest the election.
Atiku made this declaration on Thursday in Abuja when he addressed the media on the outcome of Tinubu’s documents he received from the Chicago State University in the United States of America.
Asked if the documents would be useful in his appeal at the Supreme Court, one of Atiku’s lawyer’s Mr Kalu Kalu, who answered on his behalf, explained that the conditions needed to make the documents admissible in the apex court has been met in the US.
Kalu said Tinubu forged his certificate, adding that the CSU certificate Tinubu presented belonged to a female, adding that the secondary school Tinubu claimed to have attended in 1970 was actually established in 1974.
Atiku explained that the late Gani Fawehinmi, inspired him to enquire about Tinubu’s certificate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, adding that Fawehinmi, has vindicated us.
“Now he can truly rest in peace knowing that the journey he started 23 years ago is on course,” the former Vice President said
It would be recalled that Fawehinmi On October 7, 1999, went to the Federal High Court, Lagos, to compel security operatives to investigate criminal allegations against Tinubu, who was then governor of Lagos State.
Tinubu in 1999 claimed that he lost his certificates in his filings with the INEC in 1999.
He however stated in 1999 that he attended St Paul Children’s Home School, Ibadan, from 1958 to 1964 and Government College, Ibadan (GCI) from1965 to 1968 before proceeding to Richard Daley College, Chicago, from 1969 to 1971 and the University of Chicago.
Fawehinmi in the court documents had filed an order of mandamus praying the court to compel security operatives to investigate the allegations against Tinubu who had earlier been cleared by the Lagos House of Assembly.
“AN ORDER OF MANDAMUS compelling the respondents whether, by themselves, their agents, servants, privies or otherwise however to investigate the applicant’s complaint of false statements on oath and false declarations made under oath by Mr Bola Tinubu as contained in the two documents, that is: Independent National Electoral Commission Form CF001 declared and verified under Oath by Mr Bola Ahmed Tinubu (now Governor of Lagos State) before the Commissioner for Oaths at the High Court Registry, Ikeja on December 28, 1998,” the court document had read.
“And Affidavit entitled; Affidavit in respect of Lost Certificates sworn to by Mr Bola Ahmed Tinubu (now Governor of Lagos State) before the Commissioner for Oath at the High Court Registry, Ikeja on December 29, 1998.”
The court in its judgement, however, ruled that Tinubu as then sitting governor could not be tried as he enjoyed immunity from prosecution. The Appeal Court also upheld the judgement of the lower court.
