*Tells why documents will be useful at Supreme Court – Lawyer
By OUR REPORTER, Abuja
After days of denials by supporters and conflicting mainstream and social media presentations of what the President Bola Tinubu’s academic documents received by Dr. Atiku Abubakar from Chicago State University actually contain, all controversies were laid to rest on Thursday as point-by-point of the records were finally exposed at a world press conference addressed by the former vice president in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
The DEFENDER reports that after Dr. Atiku Abubakar had addressed the world press conference, his lawyer, Barrister Kalu Kalu, was given the chance of the podium and the microphone to handle, during the question and answer section, the question asked by ThisDAY correspondent.
The reporter had asked about the need for Atiku to clarify the type of documents handed to him by Chicago State University because, according to him, Tinubu’s aides have released different versions in the public that are published in the media and Nigerians want to know the truth about it. He also asked of what value is the document you have brought from United States of America at the Supreme Court.
Barrister Kalu Kalu, a lawyer to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections, Dr. Atiku Abubakar, accused President Bola Tinubu of submitting a forged degree certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the February 25 election.
Although the President and his supporters have denied the allegations, Barrister Kalu explained that the released document backs the forgery claims.
Responding to what the documents contain, he said: “On the certificate issued or released by Chicago State University to the lawyers of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, these are the documents:
“One, that Bola Ahmed Tinubu forged the certificate he presented to INEC. Two, that the qualifying certificate from South West College to Chicago State University bears a female indicating that, that document does not belong to Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Three, the Chicago State University admission application form has a claim that Bola Ahmed Tinubu attended Government College, Lagos and graduated in 1970 when, indeed, the school was established in 1974.
“The same document has it that the owner of that document is a Black American and (in) the document Bola Ahmed Tinubu submitted to INEC, he denied having dual citizenship, which means it does not belong to him.
“Then, the same document oral deposition says that the name ‘Bola A. Tinubu’ is Ahmed but the NYSC certificate Bola Ahmed Tinubu submitted to INEC has ‘Adekunle’. I don’t know where Adekunle and Ahmed emerged from.
Value of documents in Supreme Court
“So, on the second arm of your question; of what use will it be in the Supreme Court? It is very, very clear that from decided authorities the Supreme Court has held they can accept a party to adduce fresh evidence as long as certain conditions are met.
“And from what transpired in the proceedings in US court, that condition has already been met. So, as we speak our law is very clear that a party at fault cannot be allowed to enjoy the fruit of his illegality. This is our answer to your question,” the Atiku’s lawyer assured of values and usefulness of the CSU documents at the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
