During the ongoing proceedings of the Presidential Election Petitions Court, President Bola Tinubu, who is facing a petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and their candidate, Abubakar Atiku, in relation to his election victory, has formally presented his defence. In this regard, the court has accepted the Chicago State University credentials of President Tinubu as exhibits. The presented educational documents include his admission letter from the university and other evidence to establish his attendance and graduation from the American institution.
To further support his defense, President Tinubu, through his lead counsel Wole Olanipekun, has submitted his American visa documents, proving that he made several visits to the United States between 2011 and 2021 without any hindrance. The purpose of submitting these documents was to refute the allegations of criminality raised against him in the petition.
Additionally, the court admitted the documents of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) which cleared President Tinubu for his trips to the United States. Moreover, a letter from the US Embassy dated April 4, 2003, was also accepted as evidence. The letter was a response to a previous inquiry from the Nigeria Police Force on February 3, 2003, which stated that there were no criminal records of Tinubu in the US.
Despite objections from the PDP and former Vice President Abubakar, the court ruled in favor of admitting the mentioned documents. On the other hand, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), who are the first and third respondents in the petition, did not oppose the admission of these documents.
In addition to the educational records, the court also admitted an originating summons from a separate suit filed at the Supreme Court by the Attorneys General of Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, and Sokoto states, questioning the educational background of President Tinubu in relation to his eligibility to contest the 2023 presidential election.
With the documentary evidence now presented to support his case, President Tinubu’s legal team requested an adjournment to call oral witnesses to further strengthen his defense.
