Atiku’s petition: Buhari opens defence with Cambridge certificates, other documents

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday opened his defence in the
petition filed at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal by
Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate, Atiku
Abubakar.

The petitioners are challenging the victory of Buhari and his
All Progressives Cogress at the February 23, 2019 presidential
poll.

The five-man tribunal led by Justice Mohammed Garba, had on
Monday asked Buhari’s legal team to open their defence on Tuesday
after the Independent National Electoral Commission said it would
not call any witness in the case.

At the resumed hearing in the case on Tuesday, Buhari’s lawyer,
Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), tendered a number of documents,
including the ones he described as certified true copies of
certificates and results of Cambridge examinations which Buhari
took in 1961.

According to Olanipekun, the documents include, CTCs o Cambridge
Assessment International Education School Certificate for Second
Division Grade II in 1961 and the Cambridge Assessment for lectures
received by Buhari.

They also included, the CTC of Confidential result sheet of
University of Cambridge WASC 1961 for Provincial Secondary School
Katsina showing the school and candidates who took the examinations
in 1961.

Olanipekun also tendered a group photo of Katsina Provincial
School of pupils including Buhari while graduating in 1961 and the
printout of a news report published on January 22, 2015 in respect
of that set.

Also tendered was what was described as a Commandant of the
United States Army War College letter dated June 3, 1980 addressed
to Gen. Akinribade in commendation of then Col. Buhari and a copy
of Buhari’s curriculum vitae singed by him.

Buhari’s lawyer also tendered some newspaper papers.

He tendered 29 documents in all.

The petitioners’ lawyer, Dr. Livy Uzoukwu objected to the
admissibility of documents which he described as strange and not
listed or pleaded earlier in the defence he filed in response to
the petition.

Uzoukwu said he would give the full details of their objection
in client’s final written address.

But lawyers representing INEC, Yunus Usman (SAN) and APC, Lateef
Fagbemi (SAN), had no objection to them.

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