Mike Enahoro-Ebah, a human rights advocate and attorney, has filed a lawsuit against Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a candidate for president of the All Progressives Congress, on claims that he forged certificates, lied about his age, and lied under oath.
Three independent direct criminal complaints brought by Enahoro-Ebah against Tinubu were heard by the Chief Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone 6, Abuja.
Tinubu is the only defendant in the cases denoted by the numbers CR/121/2022, CR/122/2022, and CR/123/2022, respectively, even though the attorney is the complainant.
The matters, dated November 9 and filed on November 10, 2022, by the lawyer himself, were brought pursuant to Sections 88(1), 89(3), 109(A), 110(C) and 115(1)(B) and 119 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015; under the inherent jurisdiction and powers of the court secured by Section 6(6)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
He alleged that Tinubu lied on oath having falsely sworn to an affidavit in support of his personal particulars (Form EC-9) submitted to INEC on June 17, 2022.
In the case of number: CR/121/2022, Enahoro-Ebah alleged that Tinubu presented “a forged Chicago State University certificate to INEC with the intent that it may be acted upon as genuine, thereby committed the offence of forgery contrary to Sections 362(a), 363 and 364 of the Penal Code Act, Cap. 532, Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.”
He said he applied, through his colleague, Mathew J. Kowals, a Chicago-based legal practitioner, who issued an attorney subpoena on his behalf against the university in case number: 22-L-007289 on August 12, directing the school to mail him (Kowals) all documents and records pertaining to Tinubu in their possession.
The lawyer said copies of the Chicago State University Certificate, academic records, undergraduate admission application form, University of Cambridge General Certificate of Education, and copy of Southwest College Transcript (now City College of Chicago) were later sent to him which he attached to the court documents as exhibits.
“Curiously, the information contained in the documents and school records received from Chicago State University contradicts material information provided by the defendant in his sworn Form EC-9 submitted to INEC,” he said.
Enahoro-Ebah alleged that Bola Tinubu that attended Chicago State University was born in 1954 and not 1952 as claimed by the APC presidential candidate on oath in his sworn Form EC-9 submitted to INEC.
He alleged that the copy of the Chicago State University Certificate released by the school “is radically different” from the copy attached to Tinubu’s sworn Form EC-9 submitted to INEC on June 17.
According to him, a direct comparison of both certificates reveals different dates of the issue by the university (June 22, 1979, and June 27, 1979); different university logos on both certificates; different grammatical construction on the faces of the certificates, and different signatures, among others.
He said in support of the defendant’s undergraduate admission application form submitted to Chicago State University in 1977, was a transcript from Southwest College, Chicago, bearing the name, “Tinubu Bola A” which belongs to a female student, contrary to Form EC-9 submitted to INEC which indicated that Tinubu is a man.
He further alleged that Tinubu that attended the university indicated in his undergraduate admission application form that he graduated from Government College, Lagos in 1970, while the defendant in his Form EC-9 submitted to INEC provided no information as to his attendance at the said Government College, Lagos, among other allegations.
He said it is in the best interest of Nigeria, justice and equity to issue criminal summons to ensure Tinubu’s attendance in court to answer the complaints.
The case, which is before Chief Magistrate Emmanuel Iyanna, is yet to be scheduled for a hearing.