Alleged forgeries: FBI, other U.S. anti-crime agencies to release Tinubu’s hidden records — Atiku
…As tension rises over Monday’s ruling of Supreme Court
…PDP boasts of victory at Supreme court
The former Vice President of Nigeria and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 General Election, Alh. Atiku Abubakar, has said that FBI and other anti-crime agencies in the United States are poised to start releasing some hidden information on Nigeria’s president any moment from now.
Maintaining that President Bola Tinubu, among other alleged misconducts, forged the certificate he presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Atiku said that “It is more embarrassing” that Tinubu as President will fight tooth and nail to block those discoveries about his past,” as ”such will cause him irreparable damage.”
The former Vice President said the disclosure would undoubtedly cause Nigeria “irreparable damage,” arguing that a president must mirror the moral rectitude of trust and transparency.
“Bola A. Tinubu needs to be reminded that what the FBI and other US security agencies are set to do by releasing the #FBITinubuFiles will undoubtedly cause Nigeria irreparable damage!” a team of Atiku’s media aide said in a press conference held on Sunday in Abuja on the ongoing certificate forgery controversies.
He said, “Nigeria does not stand for forgeries and impersonation,” calling on the president to clear the air over the controversies trailing his records.
Media Adviser to former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Mazi Paul Ibe who was flanked by two of his colleagues during the briefing, noted that President Tinubu’s team appears fixated on an inconsequential alleged discrepancy in the day/date an affidavit deposed to by Atiku to officially change his name over 50 years ago.
He said, “Since the discovery of documents with Chicago State University brought to the fore the litany of certificate forgeries and impersonation by President Bola A. Tinubu, there have been attempts by many of his media aides to create a parallel narrative about the public life of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
“It was obvious from the start of their journey into futility that what the media aides and supporters of Bola A. Tinubu were doing was a random bite of the public profile of Atiku Abubakar until they found an item they could chomp with their filthy teeth.
“It was amusing watching them running kiti-kata like a person wey drink water no wan drop cup – as we say in Naija parlance of a restless soul on a fruitless journey.
“So, eventually, they found that the affidavit that Atiku Abubakar deposed to in August 18, 1973, wherein he expressed his wishes to be publicly known as Atiku Abubakar was signed on a Saturday. And voila!
“The APC e-rats found what they have been looking for.
“For them, it isn’t important that the person called Bola A. Tinubu was discovered to be the name of a female, nor was it important that Bola A. Tinubu forged a certificate he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission or that Bola A. Tinubu is the Guinea pig student of the Government College Lagos, who was used to test run the school four years before it was founded.
“All that mattered to them is to pick a hole in Atiku Abubakar’s public profile.
“Like the late Fela Anikulapo said: I be thief, you be robber! You are also a thief is not a defence to an accusation of theft.
“They thought they found someone else to share the inglorious stage of certificate forgery with.”
He further said, “So, it was found out that Atiku’s affidavit was signed on a Saturday, and they went into a frenzy; oiled as a diesel train.
“They remind us of the 1974 album by the legendary Elton John titled: Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.
“They blare and burn all decency. They have found a mate in their naked state.
“Oh Lord! Atiku’s affidavit was signed on a Saturday! They screamed. The sound of it mesmerizes and intoxicates them. They get around oiled as a diesel train!
“But because we know the character of the man that we work for, we knew that their frenzy was all vain hallucinations.
“We conducted research into the registry of the Lagos State high courts in the same year, 1973, to see if it was really an absurdity to have court papers signed on a Saturday.
“The outcome of our findings showed clearly that there are court papers that were signed on Saturdays in the year 1973! Atiku Abubakar’s affidavit was not the only one signed on Saturday as the corn-men would want you to believe.
“Here and now, we shall show you slides of our findings. A practitioner of democracy, especially someone who sits on the chair of a president, must live above board.
“A president must mirror the moral rectitude of trust and transparency.
“To be called the president of a country is to be an approximation of the values that such a country stands for. Nigeria does not stand for forgeries and impersonation.
“It is, therefore, on this note that we, yet again, call on President Bola A. Tinubu to follow the example of Atiku Abubakar to clear the air about all doubts and kuru kere about his past.
“Since Lagos is his domain, we ask Bola A. Tinubu to boldly walk into Government College Lagos and make available to the world, just as we have done today, a copy of his 1970 certificate with which he sought admission into the Chicago State University.
“He may as well tell us, the business center inside Oluwole Market in Lagos, where he printed the forged Chicago State University certificate that he presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“And if, assuming the president is afraid to come out clean, because we can only assume at this point, that Bola A. Tinubu has some skeletons in his closet. He should feel free to confide in us what those skeletons are.
“It is embarrassing enough that the FBI and other anti-crime agencies in the United States are poised to start releasing information on our president any moment from now.
“It is more embarrassing that President Bola A. Tinubu will fight tooth and nail to block those discoveries about his past, saying such will cause him irreparable damage. Bola A. Tinubu needs to be reminded that what the FBI and other US security agencies are set to do by releasing the #FBITinubuFiles will undoubtedly cause Nigeria irreparable damage!
“Nigeria is a country of laws, and no one single man or woman, no matter how highly placed, is bigger than our laws.
“We hope that this discovery into Atiku’s Saturday affidavit by his own media team will rest this issue and provide the opportunity for Bola A. Tinubu’s team to come clean with its decades of forgeries and lies. Nigerians are waiting for them to put an end to this kindergarten Tom and Jerry that has done nothing but brought embarrassment and humiliation to our country and its people.”
Atiku who came second to Tinubu in the February 25, 2023 Presidential Election has vowed in the aftermath of the election to explore all legal means to contest the outcome of the election as declared by INEC.
Atiku had recently approached a U.S. court seeking to compel the Chicago State University (CSU) to release Tinubu’s records on the ground that the documents would strengthen his suit challenging the president’s electoral victory.
Following his application, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois had ordered CSU to release the credentials of President Tinubu.
On September 19, Jeffrey Gilbert, a U.S. magistrate judge, granted the request and ordered CSU to release Tinubu’s academic records within 24 hours.
Tinubu’s credentials as he submitted to INEC show that he graduated from CSU in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, accounting and management; but there have been allegations bordering on discrepancies in his certificate.
Tinubu had filed an appeal against the order of the U.S. court. Atiku also asked the U.S. district court to overrule Tinubu’s objection.
In a memorandum opinion and order issued by Nancy Maldonado, the judge, the court overruled Tinubu’s objections to the application filed by Atiku seeking the release of the president’s record with the university.
Following the documents released by the CSU, there have been controversies with allegations that Tinubu forged the certificate he presented to INEC.
Atiku had upon obtaining the records, made an application to the Supreme Court, praying the apex court he be allowed to present fresh facts of certificate forgery in the ongoing suit filed in appeal to the earlier judgement of Presidential Election Petition Court delivered in September which upheld Tinubu’s victory.
The apex court had last week fixed Monday to deliver ruling on the new application.
The ruling of the apex court on the application has generated tension and speculations, though some legal experts have argued that no fresh evidences can be presented before the Supreme Court at the present stage of the legal contest.
In his response, Tinubu had described the application as “abusive in nature” and prayed for its dismissal.
Tinubu is also challenging the application for the introduction of fresh evidence.
Tinubu is arguing the allegation of certificate forgery was not introduced in Abubakar’s petition at the tribunal, and thus, his academic records obtained from CSU cannot be considered by the Supreme Court.
Among several issues raised by Atiku in the legal battle, it was alleged that the election was fraught with irregularities and substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
Also alleged is that Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima were not qualified to contest and did not win the election by the majority of lawful votes cast.
Consequently, the appellants are praying the Supreme Court to set aside the findings and conclusions of the tribunal.
Meanwhile, ahead of today’s hearing at the Supreme Court, the Peoples Democratic Party has boasted that it is sure of victory at the apex court.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, in a statement, in Abuja, on Sunday, explained that the party’s confidence was hinged on provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and relevant sections of the Electoral Act (As amended).
He said, “As the Supreme Court commences hearing on the February 25, 2023 Presidential Election Appeal, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is confident that guided by the provisions of the law, the body of evidence, circumstances and facts presented before it, the Apex Court will deliver justice in the matter.
“The PDP believes that the issues of the February 2023 Presidential election; the barefaced violation of rules and the laws, the brazen manipulations and falsifications in perversion of our electoral process have put our democracy in a precarious situation.
“Nigerians and indeed the whole world look forward to the Supreme Court for justice in the hope that the Court will apply the laws, including the express provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022 and INEC Guidelines and Regulations in delivering substantial justice in the matter.
“The earnest expectation of Nigerians and lovers of democracy across the world is that the Supreme Court will use this case to firmly validate the maxim that the Judiciary is the last hope of the common man.
“Nigerians are therefore optimistic in hoping that the Supreme Court will dispense substantial Justice according to law and fact in the Appeal.”
