From Godwin Tsa, Abuja.
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday commenced the defence of his mandate by tendering bundles of documents including his academic records from the 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 severally visited the US between 2011 and 2021.
The educational documents were tendered to establish his attendance and graduation at the American University comprised the admission letter offered Tinubu by the famous Institution among others.
Other documents which were tendered by the president through his lead counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, 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 State 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 the 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 inspite of rigorous objections against their respective admisibility by PDP and the former Vice President.
Specifically, the letters from the Nigerian Police to the US Embassy and the reply were admitted and marked as exhibits RA7 to RA8; the bundle of President Tinubu’s academic records from the Chicago State University certified on June 28, 2023 by Jamar C. Or , an Associate General Counsel, office of legal affairs, were admitted and marked as exhibits RA9.
The six bundles of immigration documents including his Visa between 2011 and 2021 were marked as exhibit RA10, while a cooy of the report of the relocation of the FCT and the attached payment receipt dated April 13, 2023, were marked exhibits RA11 and RA11A.
The INEC Forms EC8A and Form EC9D (A) from Kano State were marked as exhibits RA12 and RA12A, while a copy of the originating summons in respect of suit no SC/CV/354/2023 was marked as exhibit RA13, just as the bundles of newspaper publications were marked as exhibits RA14 to RA17 respectively.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) who are 1st and 3rd respondents in the petition did not object to admission of all the documents.
Meanwhile, counsel to the President, Olanipekun informed the court that he intends to commence oral evidence tomorrow.
Consequently further hearing in the petition has been adjourned to July 5 by the court.