Flashback: Keyamo Sued Lagos Assembly In 1999 For Clearing Tinubu Of Forgery

The spokesman for the Tinubu Campaign Organisation, Festus Keyamo, in 1999 sued the Lagos State House of Assembly for clearing then Governor, Bola Tinubu of allegations of certificate forgery and perjury.

Keyamo was recently appointed as the spokesman for the presidential campaign of the flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress, Tinubu.

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment had dragged the lawmakers before Justice C.O Segun in the case with suit number ID/639M/99.

Keyamo charged the court to rule that only the chief judge could investigate Tinubu for certificate forgery.

Gani Fawehinmi had earlier accused Tinubu of forging his school certificates and sought an order from the court compelling the police to investigate him.

The court ruled that because Tinubu enjoyed immunity at the time, only the Lagos State House of Assembly could investigate him.

Tinubu, however, was cleared a week after the lawmakers investigated him.

Keyamo who was not pleased with the decision of the assembly decided to sue the lawmakers for clearing Tinubu.

The Minister in the motion had stated that Tinubu in the forms he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), stated he attended Government College, Ibadan, from 1965 to 1968 and then proceeded to Richard Daley College, Chicago, Illinois, USA, from 1969 to 1971 before completing his studies at the Chicago State University in 1979 but that the certificates were lost.

Keyamo recalled that based on the allegations that the certificates were forged, the Lagos State House of Assembly set up a five-member panel that investigated Tinubu for only four days and could not have done a thorough job.

He added that the Assembly lacked the constitutional power to investigate perjury and its findings were thus null and void.

He, therefore, sought four reliefs including a declaration by the court that “the final report submitted by the said five-man panel on Monday, September 27, 1999, to the defendants which in its totality cleared the Governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu of allegations of forgery and perjury is null and void and of no effect.”

The court, however, struck out the case because it was not supported by an affidavit.

Keyamo took the case to the Court of Appeal where he lost again and then to the Supreme Court where he was finally defeated.

The minister while reacting to the report said he only challenged the right of the Lagos Assembly to clear Tinubu and not the actual findings of the report.