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The Presidential Election Petition Courtroom in Abuja on Tuesday admitted paperwork in proof accusing President Bola Tinubu of drug offences in the USA.
The court docket accepted the paperwork as displays within the case filed by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, to problem Mr Tinubu’s victory within the 25 February election.
Alleging widespread irregularities throughout the presidential election and Mr Tinubu’s ineligibility to contest the election, Mr Obi can also be asking the court docket to nullify his victory.
Mr Tinubu was sworn in as Nigeria’s president on Monday, though the instances difficult his election won’t be determined till September.
When the swimsuit got here up on Tuesday, Mr Obi’s lawyer, Jibrin Okutepa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, tendered some court docket paperwork purporting to be the US court docket’s determination awarding $460,000 wonderful towards Mr Tinubu for illicit medication trafficking imposed by the USA District Courtroom, Northern District of Illinois, Jap Division.
The swimsuit marked:93C 4483 was between the USA of America and Mr Tinubu.
Mr Okutepa additionally tendered paperwork to assist Mr Obi’s case of double nomination being pushed towards the vice chairman, Kashim Shettima.
Obi’s first witness testifies
After the five-member panel of the court docket led by Haruna Tsammani admitted the paperwork in proof, Mr Okutepa referred to as his shopper’s first witness.
The witness, Lawrence Nwakaeti, stated he deposed to a witness assertion on 20 March on the court docket’s registry in Abuja.
Mr Nwakaeti, a lawyer, advised the court docket that he voted throughout the 25 February presidential election at his polling unit at Umuezeala Village Sq., Ihiala in Anambra State.
In his depositions, Mr Nwakaeti stated Mr Tinubu was fined within the US for allegedly trafficking in narcotics.
However below cross-examination by Wole Olanipekun, Mr Tinubu’s lawyer, Mr Nwakaeti stated he can be stunned to know if Mr Tinubu was not fined within the paperwork he tendered to the court docket.
Responding to Mr Olanipekun’s enquiry if the witness had been to the US, Mr Nwakaeti answered within the affirmative.
Particularly, he stated he had visited Michigan in 2003.
Additionally, APC’s lawyer, Lateef Fagbemi, a SAN, requested Mr Nwakaeti if he was conscious {that a} “formal clearance report” was issued by a authorized attaché of the US embassy, absolving Mr Tinubu of any wrongdoing regarding the alleged crime.
In his response, Mr Nwakaeti stated he was not conscious of any clearance report in favour of Mr Tinubu.
After the witness concluded his testimony, the court docket adjourned Mr Obi’s petition till Wednesday for additional listening to.
Background
As a part of the grounds of the petition, Mr Obi argued that Mr Tinubu, “on the time of the (presidential) election, was not certified to contest the election.”
He based mostly this declare on the grounds that the Mr Tinubu “was fined $460,000 for an offence involving dishonesty, specifically narcotics trafficking imposed by the USA District Courtroom, Northern District of Illinois, Jap Division, in case no:93C 4483″ between the USA of America and Bola Tinubu.
Regarding the alleged non-qualification of Mr Shettima, Mr Obi’s lawyer, Mr Okutepa advised journalists on Tuesday the details of his case have been completely different from the Supreme Courtroom’s determination dismissing PDP’s rivalry towards the vice chairman.
The petitioner had argued in court docket filings that the regulation supplied {that a} presidential candidate shall nominate one other individual as his affiliate who’s to occupy the workplace of vice chairman.
He recalled that Mr Tinubu had nominated Mr Shettima as his vice-presidential candidate on 14 July 2022 whereas the latter was nonetheless representing Borno Central Senatorial District on the Nationwide Meeting.
He added that the APC nominated Mr Shettima as its candidate for Borno Central Senatorial District as of 15 July 2022, whereas already chosen by Mr Tinubu as his working mate.
Mr Obi stated Mr Shettima mustn’t have allowed himself to be nominated in “a couple of constituency”. He stated this was a violation of the supply of the Electoral Act.
He vowed to show in court docket that APC’s “purported sponsorship” of Messrs Tinubu and Shettima whereas the latter was nonetheless representing Borno Central Senatorial district, rendered their candidacy “invalid.”
He added that “…for that reason, the votes purportedly recorded for” Mr Tinubu “on the presidential election have been/are wasted votes and should be disregarded”.
READ ALSO: Swearing-in: Courtroom orders candidates, lawyer to pay Tinubu, APC N17m over frivolous swimsuit
The petitioner additionally contended that Mr Tinubu “was not duly elected by majority of the lawful votes solid on the time of the election.”
He argued that Mr Tinubu didn’t win the vast majority of lawful votes solid in every of at the very least two-third of the states of the federation and the FCT, Abuja.
Mr Obi, who got here third within the presidential race, urged the court docket to declare him president or order a recent ballot.
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