Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has urged the Supreme Court to allow him to present fresh evidence to back his claim that President Bola Tinubu forged the document he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, News About Nigeria reports.
According to Atiku, presentation of forged documents by any candidate was a grave constitutional issue that should not be overlooked.
Atiku said this in his reply to Tinubu’s objection to him presenting fresh evidence before the apex court.
“Presenting forged documents by any candidate, especially by a candidate for the highest office in the land, is a very grave constitutional issue that must not be encouraged,” Atiku said.
The PDP presidential candidate in the last general election had taken his legal battle against Tinubu to the U.S. where he obtained court orders that compelled Chicago State University to release Tinubu’s academic records.
In its interpretation of the documents gotten the CSU, Atiku and his legal team revealed that Tinubu forged the documents he submitted to INEC.
However, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and Tinubu’s camp dismissed Atiku’s claim, saying that his journey to the US to shop for evidence against Tinubu was fruitless.
The President’s lawyer also maintained that Tinubu’s academic records obtained in the US would not be admissible by the Supreme Court in Nigeria where Atiku is challenging Tinubu’s electoral victory.
Following this, Atiku explained that the Supreme Court not allowing him to tender the document would amount to undue technicality on the part of the court.
Atiku further stated that, the Supreme Court, as the apex court, has intervened time and again in such matters of great constitutional importance.
He also cited cases like; “Amaechi vs. INEC (2008) 5 NWLR (Pt. 1080) 227 and Obi vs. INEC (2007) 11 NWLR (Pt. 1046) 565,” where the Supreme Court accepted fresh evidence to ensure substantial justice is done in such novel scenarios.
