President Tinubu Accuses Atiku Abubakar of Using Fake Certificates
President Bola Tinubu has claimed that the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, submitted fake primary and secondary school certificates to contest the last election. In a counter affidavit filed at the Supreme Court on Thursday, October 12, 2023, Tinubu accused Abubakar of providing false credentials to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) prior to the presidential election.
According to the affidavit filed by his lead counsel, Wole Olanikepun (SAN), Tinubu alleged that Atiku Abubakar used the name “Atiku Kojoli” on his primary school certificate and “Siddiq Abubakar” on his 1965 West African School Certificate and General Certificate of Examination (WASSCE). Tinubu argued that the inconsistencies in the names on Atiku’s primary and secondary school certificates raised doubts about his identity.
Tinubu’s legal team vehemently opposed Abubakar’s attempt to introduce fresh evidence of forgery, which included a deposition from Chicago State University’s registrar stating the inability to authenticate the certificate Tinubu submitted to INEC. They insisted that the Supreme Court should base its judgment solely on the evidence admitted in the first court of trial, where the Presidential Elections Petitions Tribunal had dismissed all petitions filed by Abubakar in September.
