Atiku Blasts Supreme Court for Letting Tinubu Off the Hook with Forged Certificate

The former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the Supreme Court for its verdict that allowed President Bola Tinubu to remain in office despite presenting a forged university certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He said the judgement violated the 1999 Constitution (as amended in 2010), which clearly states that anyone who submits a forged certificate to INEC is not eligible to be elected president of Nigeria.

The Supreme Court, in its ruling on October 26, dismissed the evidence that showed Mr Tinubu’s forgery, which was obtained through a federal court order in the United States. The court said the evidence was inadmissible because it was submitted late in the election petitions.

The ruling sparked outrage among many Nigerians, who accused the Supreme Court of being compromised and endorsing illegality. Mr Abubakar, who was the main opposition candidate in the February 25 presidential election, expressed his dismay at the verdict during a press briefing at his party’s headquarters on Monday morning.

He said the Supreme Court’s judgement implied that crime is good and should be rewarded, and that Nigeria has lost and is doomed, regardless of who is the president. He said the consequences of the verdict will not end with the current government, but will last for decades.

He also questioned the integrity of the Supreme Court panel, which was led by John Inyang Okoro, an associate justice who was arrested by the State Security Service in 2016 over allegations of bribery and corruption. Mr Okoro denied the charges, but cash, mostly in U.S. dollars, was seized from his residence as evidence of inducement.

Mr Abubakar said the Supreme Court’s verdict has damaged the credibility of future elections, and called for urgent reforms to save Nigeria’s democracy. He proposed some recommendations, such as:

• A new law that would require a candidate to score above 50 per cent to win a presidential or governorship election. This would prevent a situation where Mr Tinubu became president with only 36 per cent of the vote, due to the division of opposition votes between Mr Abubakar’s Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi’s Labour Party.
• A new law that would prevent a candidate from assuming office until all election petitions have been resolved. This would stop Mr Tinubu from using federal resources and power to influence the outcome of the petitions.

Mr Abubakar said these recommendations are not new, but they need to be implemented as soon as possible to amend the Constitution and restore confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system. He said some political analysts have agreed with him that his suggestions could make a positive difference for Nigeria’s election management.

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