The Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja today admitted documents in evidence accusing President Bola Tinubu of drug offences in the United States.
The court accepted the documents as exhibits in the case filed by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, to challenge Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 election.
Alleging widespread irregularities during the presidential election and Tinubu’s ineligibility to contest the election, Mr Obi is also asking the court to nullify his victory.
Tinubu was sworn in as Nigeria’s president on Monday, although the cases challenging his election will not be decided until September.
When the suit came up today, Obi’s lawyer, Jibrin Okutepa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, tendered some court documents purporting to be the US court’s decision awarding $460,000 fine against Tinubu for illicit drugs trafficking imposed by the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.
Mr Okutepa also tendered documents to aid Mr Obi’s case of double nomination being pushed against the vice president, Kashim Shettima.
After the five-member panel of the court led by Haruna Tsammani admitted the documents in evidence, Mr Okutepa called his client’s first witness.
In his depositions, the witness said Tinubu was fined in the US for allegedly trafficking in narcotics.
But under cross-examination by Wole Olanipekun, Tinubu’s lawyer, the witness said he would be surprised to know if Mr Tinubu was not fined in the documents he tendered to the court.
Also, APC’s lawyer, Lateef Fagbemi, a SAN, askedthe witness if he was aware that a “formal clearance report” was issued by a legal attaché of the US embassy, absolving Mr Tinubu of any wrongdoing concerning the alleged crime.
In his response, the witness said he was not aware of any clearance report.
After the witness concluded his testimony, the court adjourned Mr Obi’s petition until Wednesday for further hearing