President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima have submitted 18 exhibits to the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in response to the disqualification request made by the Labour Party (LP) and its candidate, Peter Obi. Tinubu presented records at Chicago State University, while Shettima submitted his letter of withdrawal from the Borno South Senatorial race. The purpose of these exhibits is to refute allegations of non-qualification for the 2023 presidential election.
Tinubu’s lead counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, presented a letter from a former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Tafa Balogun, dated February 3, 2003, which requested Tinubu’s criminal records from the US Embassy in Nigeria. Another letter from the US Embassy, responding to the police request and stating the absence of any criminal records, was also tendered by Tinubu during the proceedings.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not object to admitting these documents as exhibits. However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, strongly opposed their admission. Despite the objection, the court accepted the documents as exhibits to determine whether Tinubu attended Chicago State University and whether he had been convicted of drug offenses in the United States, as alleged by Obi and the LP.
Obi and the LP based their joint petition on claims of Tinubu lacking the required educational qualifications and having been convicted for drug-related offenses by a US court. Similar exhibits were admitted in a separate petition by Atiku and the PDP, who also seek Tinubu’s removal from the presidency on the same grounds.
In addition to the educational and criminal records, Tinubu submitted various US visas to demonstrate his frequent visits to America and obtained clearances from the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
The defence has concluded its case without calling any witnesses.