Nigeria’s primary opposition party has announced its intention to present fresh evidence in support of its legal challenge aimed at overturning this year’s presidential election. They assert that the declared winner, President Bola Tinubu, submitted falsified academic credentials to the authorities.
At a press briefing, Atiku Abubakar, the first runner-up, along with his legal team, alleged that President Tinubu had forged a diploma from an American university. In which he presented to Nigeria’s election commission prior to the February election. They have obtained records from this university through a U.S. court hearing. And this evidence has also been shared with The Associated Press.
Previously, Abubakar had argued that Tinubu should not hold the presidency due to irregularities in the electoral process and questions about Tinubu’s eligibility, including allegations of dual citizenship and a criminal indictment in the United States.
While President Tinubu has refuted these claims, he has not yet commented on the new allegation. However, his spokesperson has denied it, stating, “A man cannot forge the academic records he possesses,” as conveyed by Temitope Ajayi, Tinubu’s media aide. On the social media platform X.
This legal challenge is of significant interest to many Nigerians. As it follows a contentious election in which Tinubu won with less than 50% of the votes. And marking a historic first in Nigeria’s electoral history.
Abubakar is one of three candidates currently pursuing legal action in an effort to invalidate President Tinubu’s election victory.
Kalu Kalu, the attorney representing Abubakar, has stated their intention to present “fresh evidence”. The case that is currently before Nigeria’s Supreme Court. He emphasized that a party found to be at fault should not be allowed to benefit from their alleged wrongdoing.
In the course of advancing his legal challenge, Abubakar secured an order from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, instructing Chicago State University, where Tinubu claimed to have attended, to release Tinubu’s academic records. legal challenge aimed
Alexandre de Gramont, who represented Abubakar in the U.S. court, stated that their team had obtained “virtually everything we sought” after a strenuous effort to obtain educational records. He noted that Tinubu’s lawyers had vigorously opposed these efforts at every stage.
It’s worth noting that this is not the first time a Nigerian leader has faced allegations of forgery. Former President Muhammadu Buhari, Tinubu’s predecessor, also encountered similar accusations, although they never substantiated.
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