PDP’s Petition: President Buhari Opens Defence At Tribunal

President Muhammadu Buhari has opened his defence against the petition of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

The President opened his case on Tuesday at the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja, where the PDP and the former vice president are challenging his victory in the February 23 poll.

His counsel and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr Wole Olanipekun, opened the case by tendering some documents including 16 true certified copies of newspaper publications.

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The senior lawyer also presented a 17th document which is titled ‘APC A New Nigeria’.

The counsel to the PDP, Mr Levi Uzoukwu, informed the Tribunal that he was objecting to the document and would give his reasons in the final address.

Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Mohammed Garba, said there was an omission in the numbering of documents.

Mr Olanipekun, however, said it was a mistake, noting that the first set of documents were 17 in number.

He explained that the 19th document was entitled ‘Cambridge International Education Certified Certificate For Muhammadu Buhari in 1961’.

The President’s counsel also tendered a collection receipt for the certificate, as well as a certified true copy of confidential result sheet of the University of Cambridge West African School Certificate 1961 for Provincial Secondary School Katsina which showed the list of students who wrote and passed the exam.

He also presented a group photograph of ‘Class 6’ Provincial Secondary School Katsina taken joyfully in 1961, as well as a printed copy of a newspaper publication in respect of the class published on January 22, 2015.

Mr Olanipekun tendered a certified true copy of the Certificate of Compliance of Provincial Secondary School Katsina.

In his response, Mr Uzoukwu said that the WAEC certificate of the President has yet to be seen.

He added that the documents tendered were never listed or pleaded in the documents filed by the President in responding to the petition as required by law.

The petitioners’ counsel, however, said he would reserve his rejection in his final address.