APC Lawyer Ask Supreme Court To Dismiss Atiku’s Case Against Tinubu

A counsel to President Bola Tinubu, Wole Olanipekun, on Monday, asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the application of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, seeking to tender his counsel’s academic records.

Olanipekun in his argument said the question of 180 days is clear.

He wondered where the court would compartmentalize Atiku’s fresh evidence.

He describes it as an application in wonderland and ought to be dismissed as it lacks merit.

According to Olanipekun, the court is bound by law, and the law should be interpreted as it is, and not how it ought to be.

INEC lawyer, Abubakar Mahmoud, asks the Supreme Court to dismiss Atiku’s application seeking to tender Tinubu’s academic records.

Olanipekun also said fresh evidence is not admissible at this point.

He argued that the Chicago State University (CSU) depositions are dormant until the deponent comes to court and testifys.

He added that INEC should have been a party at the deposition proceedings in the US.

Olanipekun further said the question of 180 days (the statutory period within which an election petition should be filed and determined) is clear.

It is sacrosanct. It cannot be shifted. Therefore, Atiku cannot seek to tender fresh evidence at the Supreme Court.

Counsel for the APC, Akin Olujinmi also said the application lacks merit, it is misconceived and urged the court to dismiss it.

He added that the Atiku cannot smuggle a document into the Supreme Court without first tendering the same at the trial court.

Olujinmi said the burden is on Atiku to prove why the fresh evidence should be admitted by the Supreme Court.

Uche responded to Tinubu’s lawyers regarding the CSU proceedings and said the CSU depositions can be used in the Nigerian court.

The court has risen to reconvene in five minutes.