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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, commenced defence of his mandate by tendering bundles of documents including his academic records from Chicago State University before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC).
The president who was responding to the joint petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and Atiku Abubakar, equally tendered certified true copies of bundles of immigration documents including his United States of America Visa to establish the fact that he visited the US between 2011 and 2021 on many times.
The educational documents tendered to establish his attendance and graduation at the American University comprised admission letter among others.
Other documents tendered by the president through his lead counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun, were a letter from the Nigerian Police Force to the US Embassy requesting for his criminal records dated July 3, 2003 as well as a copy of the reply to the letter from US Embassy dated July 4, 2003, stating that the US does not have any criminal records against him.
Tinubu who tendered the documents to debunk allegations of criminality contained in the petition against him also made available to the Court all documents of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) which cleared him for the US trips.
Also tendered by the president was a copy of the report of the Committee on the relocation of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), signed by the Director of Federal Archives together with the attached receipt of payment.
Equally tendered and admitted by the court were INEC Forms EC8(A) (recording of polling unit results) and Forms EC8D (A) (summary of results from state) obtained from Kano state.
The court further admitted in evidence the originating summons in suit no SC/CV/345/2023 filed at the Supreme Court by the Attorney General of Adamawa; Akwa Ibom; Bayelsa; Delta; Edo and Sokoto States, who had challenged the results of the presidential election in their various states, but later withdrew the suit.
All the bundle of documents were admitted in spite of rigorous objections against their respective admisibility by PDP and the former vice president.
Counsel to the president, Olanipekun informed the court that he intends to commence oral evidence today.
Further hearing in the petition continues today.
