In a significant development, President Bola Tinubu’s legal representatives have stated that any documents obtained by Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, from the United States court will be rendered useless for his appeal at the Supreme Court. Attorney Oluwole Afolabi, one of President Bola Tinubu’s lawyers, conveyed this information in a professional WhatsApp voice note, elaborating on the implications of Judge Nancy Maldonado’s ruling.
Previously, it was reported by the Peoples Gazette that Judge Maldonado had ordered the Chicago State University to release the president’s academic credentials by Monday, cautioning the defendant against further appeals which would be rejected. Atiku, in his attempt to prove that President Tinubu’s certificate submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission was counterfeit and that he was ineligible to contest the election, intends to present Mr. Tinubu’s academic records at the Supreme Court.
However, Mr. Afolabi emphasized that “The Electoral Act does not allow for the introduction of new evidence on appeal. A party must provide a list of the documents he intends to rely on at the time his Petition is filed.” He further explained that a party cannot introduce surprise evidence that was not filed along with the petition.
Babatunde Ogala, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Mr. Tinubu’s personal lawyer, expressed a similar opinion, dismissing the value of the documents, stating, “The headless mob is masturbating over nothing. The documents can no longer be used. It is of no value. We have passed that stage.” Mr. Ogala also addressed the questions surrounding President Tinubu’s attendance and grades at Chicago State University, affirming that President Tinubu did attend the university and that the school had already provided the relevant information.
