The Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja has admitted in evidence a certified true copy of a United States District Court judgment. The judgment reportedly indicted Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ordering him to forfeit $460,000 for drug-related offences in the United States. The admission happened during a hearing of a petition filed by the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Gregory Obi, against Tinubu’s election.
Mr Jibrin Okutepa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, led the witness’s testimony, Barrister Lawrence Uchechukwu Nnana Nwakaeti, on behalf of Obi and the Labour Party. They aim to nullify and set aside Tinubu’s declaration as the winner of the February 25, 2023 presidential election.
Meanwhile, Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have raised objections against admitting the judgment. However, they have reserved their objections to the final address stage.
Under cross-examination, the witness admitted that the judgment was not registered in Nigeria and that no certificate from any Consular in Nigeria or America supported it. He also said that there was no evidence of a certificate given under the hand of any American Police Officer.
Despite admitting not having any copy of the charges against Tinubu, the witness, who claimed to have read the entire judgment, maintained that the indictment and forfeiture were from civil proceedings.
Further hearing in the petition has been adjourned till May 31, 2021, by the Presiding Justice of the Court, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani.
