The Presidential Election Petition Court, (PEPC) on Friday in Abuja, admitted in evidence, certified true copies of academic and work records of President Bola Tinubu tendered by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku.
The documents include a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Certificate, a certificate from the Chicago State University and a Mobil Nigeria Oil Company Plc Certificate of Service.
Other documents admitted in evidence were a computer generated copy of a Guinean passport bearing the name Bola Ahmed Tinubu and notarised document of the judgement showing criminal forfeiture of $460,000 along with the certified cover note notorising it.
The petitioners tendered the documents through a subpoenaed witness, Mr Mike Enahoro-Eba, as part of efforts to prove their allegations that the president was not qualified to contest the February 25 presidential election and that the election was marred by irregularities.
Enahoro-Eba, who was led in evidence by the petitioners’ lead counsel, Mr Chris Uche, SAN, described himself as a private legal practitioner.
The petitioners also tendered a certificate of compliance and a witness statement on oath to prove the allegations contained in their petition challenging the outcome of the Feb. 25 presidential election.
The witness told the court that the NYSC certificate attached to the president’s documents which he submitted to INEC together with his form EC9, which is his nomination form, was issued in the name Tinubu Bola Adekunle.
He also told the court that the transcript in aid of admission into the Chicago State University made by South West College in the name of Bola Ahmed Tinubu had female as the gender of the applicant.
Enahoro-Eba, who is the petitioner’s 27th witness, also told the court that he was a human rights activist as well as a public interest lawyer.
Under cross examination by the lead counsel to INEC, Mr Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN, the witness told the court that he was in Abuja during the election and that he voted.
He further said that the election was smooth from when he was accredited up to when he voted and left the polling unit.
The witness also told the court that he instituted a public interest suit against Tinubu at a Magistrate Court, challenging Tinubu’s qualification to contest the presidential election.
Earlier, the petitioners tendered certified true copies of Form EC8A series which are results of the presidential election from polling units from six states.
The states include Delta with 25 local government areas, Ebonyi with 13 local government areas, Edo with 18 local government areas and Enugu with 17 local government areas.
Others are Imo with 27 local government areas and Kogi with 21 local government areas.
All the respondents in the petition marked, CA/PEPC/05/2023 including INEC, President Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) objected to the admissibility of the documents.
They, however, said that they would give reasons for their objections at the final address stage.
The petitioners prayed the court to discountenance the objection of the respondents and admit the documents in evidence
The Chairman of the Court, Justice Haruna Tsammani admitted the documents in evidence and marked appropriately.
