2023: Court Orders Tinubu’s Challenger On Certificate Forgery Suit To Present Witnesses On October 12

By Akinwale Kasali

All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is in the eye of the storm over alleged certificate forgery.

The Action Alliance Party, AAC, that fielded Journalist and Human Rights Activist, Omoyele Sowore, as its Presidential Candidate at the forthcoming 2023 Presidential election had sued the former Lagos State Governor on alleged certificate forgery before the Justice Obiora Egwuatu of  Federal High Court, Abuja.

However, the Court had ordered the AAC to present its witnesses in court on October 12th, 2022, to establish a certificate forgery suit brought against Tinubu.

The Party in the suit prays that the Court disqualifies Tinubu from the 2023 pre-race on alleged certificate Forgery.

Justice Egwuatu issued the order on Thursday when he fixed October 12th as the new date to enable parties in the suit complete filing of their processes and exchange same as required by law before the adjourned date.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Babatunde Ogala, is the Counsel to Tinubu and is saddled with fortifying the defense of the former Lagos State Governor in the alleged certificate forgery suit.

At the proceedings, AAC Counsel, Ukpai Ukairo, informed the Court that he just received the notice of preliminary objection from Tinubu asking the court not to entertain the case against him on various grounds.

Amongst the grounds, Tinubu claimed that the foundation for the certificate forgery suit against him was rooted in the 1999 electoral forms he submitted to the then electoral body.

It also claimed that the report of the Lagos State House of Assembly which probed him on the alleged certificate forgery is the main foundation of the fresh suit and hence, has become statute barred.

However, Ukairo informed the Court that the claims of Tinubu, especially on the statute barred position would be adequately addressed in the subsequent proceedings.

Ukairo furthermore stressed that Tinubu’s claims made orally by his counsel had to be made formally and served on him to enable him respond appropriately.

In the Suit, electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, which is the 1st Defendant in the suit, sought for time to respond to the suit, as the APC was not represented in court despite proof of service of the suit on it.

The Judge accordingly adjourned the matter till October 2, for parties to put their houses in order for proper hearing of the alleged certificate forgery suit.

It would be recalled that the AAC had on June 21st, 2022, asked the court to restrain INEC from including the name of the APC Presidential Candidate in the ballot of the 2023 presidential election.

The party in the Write of Summon marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/954/2022, predicated its request on the claim that both the APC and its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu are not qualified to participate in the 2023 presidential election on alleged forgery committed by Tinubu in 1999.

The suit filed on behalf of the plaintiff by its lawyer, Ukairo, claimed that Tinubu forged his university of Chicago certificate he submitted in 1999 in aid of his qualification for the 1999 governorship election in Lagos State, which was won by Tinubu.

The suit, dated and filed on June 21, has the Independent National Electoral, All Progressives Congress and Senator Bola Tinubu as 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants respectively.