Tinubu: Why Supreme Court Can’t Admit Atiku’s Chicago State University ‘Fresh Evidence’

• The legal battle between PDP flagbearer Atiku Abubakar and President Bola Tinubu continues at the Supreme Court
• While Tinubu urged the court to dismiss Atiku and the PDP's case against him for lacking merit, Atiku urged the apex court to sack the president, noting he forged his varsity records
• The Nigerian leader noted that his rival did not challenge the poll outcome on the ground of forgery

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has argued that the Supreme Court cannot at this stage admit the fresh evidence sought to be tendered by Atiku Abubakar in his appeal challenging the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.

Why Tinubu wants Supreme Court to thrash Atiku's fresh evidence

The Nigerian leader urged the apex court to reject the purported fresh evidence Atiku and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), claimed to have obtained from the Chicago State University (CSU), The Nation reported.

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Tinubu contented that the Supreme Court could no longer assume trial jurisdiction in the case since the 180 days for the election petition hearing had since lapsed.

He added that not only is the new evidence strange to the proceedings, having not been presented during the trial, but Atiku and the PDP, who were joint petitioners at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), did not challenge the poll outcome on the ground of forgery.

Senate leader tackles Atiku and PDP

In a similar move, the Senate leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, insisted that Atiku and the PDP never pleaded before the tribunal any document or deposition from the CSU in support of their fourth ground on Tinubu’s alleged non-qualification.

Tinubu and Bamidele made this statement while responding to the application by Atiku and his party seeking the permission of the Supreme Court to introduce fresh evidence in their appeal.

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Tinubu speaks on Atiku's allegation about discrepancies in his certificate

Tinubu also earlier said that the alleged discrepancies in his academic credentials were the handwork of his political opponent, Atiku Abubakar.

Tinubu said Atiku plotted the allegations against him because of his failure to secure credible evidence to justify his claim that he (Tinubu) was not qualified to take part in the 2023 presidential election.

Certificate forgery: How Atiku can win at Supreme Court

Meanwhile, a top Nigerian lawyer has predicted the fate of Tinubu at the Supreme Court.

While speaking on the case filed by Atiku against him, Barrister AD Rotimi George Esq., a member of the National Executive Council of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), noted that "Tinubu's fate is fine".

Source: Legit.ng