The Presidential Election Petitions Court has admitted the US drugs forfeiture judgment documents against President Bola Tinubu tendered by the Labour Party (LP) and its candidate, Peter Obi.
The presiding chairman of the court, Justice Haruna Tsammani on Tuesday also admitted four categories of documents in the February 25 presidential election tendered by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
The panel also approved the subpoena of more LP witnesses before the court, which it directed the party to get from the court’s secretariat after their lawyers drew the attention of the court.
The court had begun a full trial in the petitions by the PDP, LP, and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) challenging Tinubu’s victory in the election.
The four documents admitted against Tinubu were labeled as EC series comprising the narcotic and money laundering forfeiture judgment of District Court of Northern District, Illinois, Eastern Division, USA; a letter of withdrawal of Kashim Shettima as the senatorial candidate of the APC in Borno State and others tendered by the LP.
The LP witness, to whom the documents were tendered, Lawrence Uchechukwu Nnanna Nwakaeti, testified that the documents of the District Court of Illinois, USA in which Tinubu was fined the sum of $460,000 were certified by the Sheriffs in the USA.
But under cross-examination by APC counsel, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), the witness admitted that he did not obtain a certificate from the US that contained fingerprints of Tinubu and the charges against him.
Probed further by Tinubu’s lead counsel, Wole Olanipekun (SAN) on whether the document specifically used the word “fine”, Nwakaeti insisted that he had read through the entire judgment and stood by his evidence that the president was fined $460,000 in the US.
Led in evidence by Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), the witness, who said he was also a voter in the election in Amorka, Ihialla, Anambra State testified that his affidavit on the forfeiture document was based on facts of the law and not his own conclusions.
When he was asked if he was aware that the legal attaché in the US Embassy had on February 4, 2023, signed a certificate of clearance for Tinubu over the forfeiture, he answered in the negative.
The court also admitted four categories of documents filed by Atiku against Tinubu.
They are copies of the final results declaration and result sheets of the EC8A, EC8D, and EC8E series; BVAS printout reports from the 36 states; the number of registered voters, and data of PVCs collected.
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