BREAKING: Obi, LP Failed To Prove Tinubu Was Convicted In US, Tribunal Rules

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria Wednesday, September 6th, 2023

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Presidential Election Petitions Court on Wednesday ruled that the Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, failed to prove that President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was convicted for money laundering in the United States.

The five-man panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani ruled that no record of criminal arrest or conviction was established against Tinubu by the petitioners – Obi and the LP.

Tinubu’s legal team presented a letter from the US embassy confirming his lack of criminal record in the US, which Justice Tsammani cited as evidence. According to the Nigerian constitution, a certificate from US authorities is not required to enforce a foreign court’s judgement.

On the tendering of Tinubu’s academic record from Chicago State University and the US embassy letter to the Nigerian police clearing Tinubu of any criminal record in the US, the court dismisses Obi’s objections to the admissibility of the documents. Tsammani highlights the four (4) issues that will be adopted to resolve the petition. The court says the issue of qualification of Tinubu and Shettima to contest the election on the basis of alleged double nomination was already resolved in the APM’s case. The court is dealing with the second issue, which has to do with the alleged non-qualification of TInubu based on his alleged criminal record in the US. The justice says the operative words used in Section 137(1) of the Nigerian constitution cited by the petitioners’ sentence: “sentence”, imprisonment” and “fine”.