The Nigerian Supreme Court has said the two letters released by the Chicago State University (CSU) on the academic records of President Bola Tinubu are conflicting.
This was mentioned on Monday morning by Justice John Okoro, Chairman of the 7-member panel hearing the application of Atiku Abubakar, Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), filed against the victory of President Bola Tinubu.
“But in this case, there are two conflicting letters from the CSU – one authenticating the president’s certificate and another discrediting it. Which do we rely on?” Justice John Okoro was quoted by Daily Trust.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the February poll, but his opponents took him to court.
The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal dismissed the petitions of Atiku and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, but they proceeded to the Supreme Court, with Atiku requesting additional proof against Tinubu for suspected fraud.
Atiku had requested Tinubu's academic record from Chicago State University in order to substantiate his claim that the president had submitted fraudulent documents to INEC.
However, by the time the documents were revealed, the 180-day statutory period for filing and determining an election petition had passed.
Given the seriousness of the matter, Atiku asked the court to approve his appeal to provide new evidence. Tinubu objected, claiming that doing so would be an abuse of the legal system.
Atiku based his petition on the premise that providing false documents by any candidate, especially one seeking the highest office in the land, is a serious constitutional violation that should not be promoted.
But Tinubu objected, claiming that the matter is a pre-election affair among other things, and subsequently requesting that the court refuse the application.
While criticising Tinubu, Atiku said that merit questions should not be decided or ruled on at the interlocutory stage.
Atiku further stated that presenting a falsified certificate disqualifies a candidate for all time, regardless of when it is provided.
During the hearing on Monday, Justice Okoro stated that criminal charges must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.