BREAKING: Atiku’s Camp Reacts After INEC Declared CSU Evidence Inadmissible, Speculates Implication

BREAKING: Atiku’s Camp Reacts After INEC Declared CSU Evidence Inadmissible, Speculates Implication

  • The dispute arising from Nigeria's 2023 presidential election which produced Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner is a fight to finish
  • Atiku Abubakar is at the Supreme Court seeking to unseat Tinubu after a discovery at the Chicago State University where the president schooled in the 70s
  • But INEC has continued to defend the election it conducted which brought Tinubu to power, while also not associating itself with the oppositions' grouses

Chicago, USA - Demola Olarewaju has criticised the alleged attempt by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to “cover the mess of an election it carried out”.

Olarewaju, the Special Assistant on Digital Media Strategy to Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 2023 election, said the electoral body has been indicted “as an agent of state rigging”.

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Supreme Court: “Tinubu’s team's claims on how he got CSU certificate wasn't presented”, PDP chieftain

Supreme Court/Chicago State University/Atiku/Latest about Bola Tinubu
Atiku’s ally not pleased with INEC and Prof. Yakubu. Photo credits: Atiku Abubakar, INEC Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Source: Facebook

"INEC shouldn't have opposed CSU 'evidence'"

According to the media aide of the former vice president, INEC “had no business” asking the Supreme Court to not admit as evidence President Tinubu’s certificate that was released to the PDP candidate by the Chicago State University (CSU), USA.

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Furthermore, Olarewaju opined that Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC chairman, “is the worst electoral chief ever in Nigeria”.

It would be recalled that Atiku’s legal team had a tough time on Monday, October 23, trying to convince the apex court as to why he (Atiku) should be allowed to tender new evidence.

Counsel for Atiku and the PDP, Chris Uche (SAN), made a motion and said it was for leave to present fresh evidence based on a deposition on oath from Caleb Westberg, the CSU registrar.

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Shehu Sani advises judges as S'Court receives 2 conflicting letters on Tinubu's CSU certificate

However, the Supreme Court held that the deposition cannot qualify as a court document.

In a similar vein, INEC's lawyer, Abubakar Mahmoud, described the motion by Atiku and the PDP as misconceived and misdirected. Mahmoud urged the court to dismiss it.

Reacting, Olarewaju wrote on his verified X (formerly Twitter handle) on Tuesday, October 24:

“INEC’s attempt to cover the mess of an election it carried out is an indictment of the electoral agency as an agent of state rigging - they had no business yesterday opposing the admission of the evidence that indicts Tinubu.
"Yakubu Mahmud is in my view the worst electoral chief ever in Nigeria.”

Supreme Court reserves judgement in Atiku's appeal

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Supreme Court reserved judgement on the appeal by Atiku and the PDP.

The appeal is against the September 6 judgment of the Tribunal which affirmed the victory of President Tinubu in the 2023 election.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Ridwan Adeola avatar

Ridwan Adeola (Current Affairs Editor) Ridwan Adeola Yusuf is a content creator with more than nine years of experience, He is also a Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng. He holds a Higher National Diploma in Mass Communication from the Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo State (2014). Ridwan previously worked at Africa Check, contributing to fact-checking research works within the organisation. He is an active member of the Academic Excellence Initiative (AEI). In March 2024, Ridwan completed the full Google News Initiative Lab workshop and his effort was recognised with a Certificate of Completion. Email: ridwan.adeola@corp.legit.ng.