Alleged Certificate Forgery: Court Orders AAP To Present Witnesses Against Tinubu

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday asked the Action Alliance Party to present its witnesses in court on 12 October to establish a certificate forgery suit brought against the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Action Alliance Party in the suit is seeking disqualification of Bola Tinubu from the 2023 election on alleged certificate Forgery.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu issued the order on Thursday even as he fixed the 12 October new date to enable parties in the suit to complete the filing of their processes and exchange the same as required by law before the adjourned date.

Tinubu, who is the main defendant in the alleged certificate forgery suit has, however, engaged the services of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Babatunde Ogala to enable him to fortify his defence.

At Thursday’s proceedings, counsel to Action Alliance which instituted the suit, Mr Ukpai Ukairo, informed the court that he just received the notice of preliminary objection from Tinubu asking the court not to entertain the case against him on various grounds.

Amongst the grounds, Tinubu claimed that the foundation for the certificate forgery suit against him was rooted in the 1999 electoral forms he submitted to the then electoral body.

He also claimed that the report of the Lagos State House of Assembly which probed him on the alleged certificate forgery is the main foundation of the fresh suit and hence, has become statute-barred.

However, counsel to the Action Alliance, Ukairo informed the court that the claims of the former Lagos State Governor, especially on the statute barred position would be adequately addressed in the subsequent proceedings.

Ukairo told the judge that Tinubu’s claims made orally by his counsel had to be made formally and served on him to enable him to respond appropriately.