The legal team of the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic party, Atiku Abubakar, has replied President Bola Tinubu whose lawyers recently told the Presidential Election Petitions Court sitting in Abuja that Atiku tendered an expired Guinean passport allegedly belonging to Tinubu to seek the latter’s disqualification as President.

Atiku’s lead counsel, Chris Uche SAN, in his final written address dated July 20, accused INEC of misusing huge funds allocated for the 2023 elections.
According to Atiku, Tinubu’s alleged criminal conviction and his dual citizenship are public knowledge and should have been enough reasons for INEC to disqualify him.

Recall that Tinubu’s team led by Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, did not concede or deny that the president has dual citizenship in their written address.
Nevertheless, Olanipekun argued that even if a Nigerian holds dual citizenship, the laws of the land do not stop such a person from vying for the office of President.

Recall that Chris Uche SAN had on June 25 presented Atiku’s 27th witness, Barrister Mike Enahoro Ebah (PW27), to prove that Tinubu is a dual citizen of Nigeria and Guinea prior to the polls, among other allegations.

Some of the documents he tendered include Tinubu’s certificate of service from Mobil Nigeria Plc, alleged extract of his Guinean passport as well as particulars submitted to INEC when he ran as Lagos state governor.

But giving a final response to the tendered passport (extract), Olanipekun argued that the Guinean passport which the PDP witness claimed to have downloaded from the internet shows that the passport expired in 2020. Olanipekun told the court that Atiku planned to embarrass his client with an expired document.

“It is all a guesswork, aimed at embarrassing the respondent (Tinubu). Assuming without conceding that the respondent was ever issued that passport, it is our further submission that facts relating to citizenship of a foreign country are rooted in the laws of that country, which have to be proved in Nigeria.

“It is submitted further, that even if the respondent has a dual citizenship, which is not conceded, the Constitution does not preclude him from contesting the office of President of Nigeria,” Olanipekun stated.

Replying Olanipekun on that , Uche insisted that with respect to the acquisition of citizenship of Guinea, it remains the case of the petitioners that President Tinubu is not constitutionally permitted to acquire the citizenship of Guinea.

Uche maintained that Section 137 of the 1999 Constitution does not allow a person aspiring to be Nigeria President to acquire citizen of another country.

“The provision of section 137(1) (a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) is very specific a President of the Country, as a symbol and embodiment of the Country, cannot be allowed to declare allegiance to another Country which is the implication of acquiring such a country’s citizenship,” Uche stated, urging the PEPC to disqualify Tinubu on that ground.

On INEC’s claim that it failed to transmit presidential election results in real time due to technical glitches, Uche drew the attention of the court to the testimony of the electoral umpire’s witness, Lawrence Bayode, who said in open court that INEC did not report the glitches to the Amazon Web Services AWS. AWS is the cloud platform INEC admitted to have engaged to secure the votes cast and uploaded on its portal.

Uche maintained that even though he disagrees that there was a technical glitch on electoral, INEC’s admission that it did not report the issue to either Amazon Web Service or to manufacturers of the technological device, is clear proof that the so-called “technical glitch” was a ruse, unreal, if not self-induced.

“For a project that the Nation committed the sum of over N355 billion, it is unreasonable to expect that the Commission would refuse to report or complain to the suppliers of the devices or providers of the services or hold anyone accountable,” Uche added.

Faulting INEC Chairman, Yakubu Mahmood for going ahead to announce a winner of the polls when BVAS and IREV were central to the 2023 presidential election in light of the Electoral Act 2022. He urged the court to cancel Tinubu’s election for substantial non-compliance to the Electoral Act.

https://www.thecable.ng/atiku-to-tribunal-tinubu-cant-be-president-he-holds-guinean-citizenship/amp

Dual Citizenship Is Barred For Critical Office Holders!

Dual citizenship, or multiple citizenship, is when a single person is legally recognized as a citizen of two or more countries at the same time. Dual citizenship is permitted in Nigeria but persons with dual citizenship are barred and are constitutionally ineligible to run for the following offices: House of Representatives or Senate, Section 66(1)(a); House of Assembly, Section 107(1)(a); Office of the President, Section 137(1)(a); and Office of Governor, Section 182(1)(a). This is the position of the constitution!

However, the importance of this issue was raised ahead of the APC presidential primary last year when human rights activist, Mr Kayode Ajulo, wrote a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari and the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, on the danger of picking a candidate with dual citizenship or past criminal record.

In a letter titled, “Secret Memo to the President and Leadership of the APC on the Eligibility of Persons to Contest for the Office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” dated May 22, 2022, Ajulo said it was important for the APC to get its act together so that the party would not lose its deserved victory.

Ajulo asked the APC to take into consideration the 1999 Constitution specifically Chapter VI, Part 1, Section 131 and which outlines the basic requirements to be met by a candidate to be eligible for an election into the office of the President in Nigeria. Ajulo said, “Section 137 of the same constitution as amended, goes further to illuminate this matter by providing for several situations which doth render a candidate ineligible to be elected as the President, stating that a candidate will be ineligible: If he/she has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a country other than Nigeria or has declared allegiance to such other country.”

In a July 31, 2017 article titled, “Can A Political Leader Hold Dual Citizenship And Avoid Conflicting Loyalties,” by Andy J. Semotiuk and published by Forbes, Semotiuk noted that a high office holder cannot have dual citizenship since that could result in conflict of interests. It is this conflict of interests that motivated the writers of our constitution to bar individuals with dual citizenship from office of president, governor or lawmaker!

Only a true patriot can be allowed into such offices. Any man who has such duality can wreck our country and flee to his alternate country. God forbid that. This alleged matter of Bola Ahmed Tinubu dual citizenship ought to be thoroughly scrutinised if we are serious as a nation of laws.

https://leadership.ng/adamawa-rec-like-father-like-son/ Mynd44 nlfpmod Seun

Dual citizenship is permitted in Nigeria but persons with dual citizenship are barred and are constitutionally ineligible to run for the following offices: House of Representatives or Senate, Section 66(1)(a); House of Assembly, Section 107(1)(a); Office of the President, Section 137(1)(a); and Office of Governor, Section 182(1)(a). This is the position of the constitution!

But hear what the overhyped APC lawyer Olanipekun is saying "....It is submitted further, that even if the respondent has a dual citizenship, which is not conceded, the Constitution does not preclude him from contesting the office of President of Nigeria,”

However, the importance of this issue was raised ahead of the APC presidential primary last year when human rights activist, Mr Kayode Ajulo, wrote a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari and the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, on the danger of picking a candidate with dual citizenship or past criminal record.

A lots of gross illegalities, violation and spurning of the Nigerian constitution by these despicable people in government. "The APC is known for violation of rule of law, & any organisation with disdain for rule of law, cannot stand the test of time.

The APC has a very scant regard and respect for the public and for public opinion. It also has a disdain for the law. That makes it a danger to democracy and constitutional rule".
https://www.independent.ng/apc-danger-to-nigerias-democracy-oyinlola/

The same old story. Racoon stop running in circles.

Same recycled bull.shit story.

How did you win the election? They can't answer

Racoon:


But hear what the overhyped APC lawyer Olanipekun is saying "....It is submitted further, that even if the respondent has a dual citizenship, which is not conceded, the Constitution does not preclude him from contesting the office of President of Nigeria,”

Don't you know when to give something a rest? You were on Obi's thread this morning running mouth until we served you normal akamu.

You will soon disappear from this thread as well. Don't you reflect on your activities on this forum?

No wonder that baba is looking for a re run

Baba think he can do rubbery to 200million nigerians and get away with it.

Too many "allegations" and "unknowns" on one man and supposed President of a sovereign nation?

I no fit understand at all.

How can such a country ever make one sense and step towards prosperity.

I pity all of us sha

Racoon:
A lots of gross illegalities, violation and spurning of the Nigerian constitution by these despicable people in government. "The APC is known for violation of rule of law, & any organisation with disdain for rule of law, cannot stand the test of time.

The APC has a very scant regard and respect for the public and for public opinion. It also has a disdain for the law. That makes it a danger to democracy and constitutional rule".
https://www.independent.ng/apc-danger-to-nigerias-democracy-oyinlola/

Oga,the constitution never forbade dual citizenship but forbade voluntary acquisition of another citizenship which are registration or naturalization.atiku failed to prove that tinubu voluntarily sought the citizenship of guinea.the guinean passport downloaded online is expired and expired document are inadmissible.he didn't even call the maker to testify nor any guinean to testify

Lol Atiku the Cameroonian self dey talk.

These guys know they never won any election so they are just using their followers to play.

Show us the proof that you won the election, Atiku no fit. But instead he wants the court to disqualify the winner.

Buhari disobeyed several court rulings that did not favour him.Yet the court never jail him.Are some human above the law?Even tinubu who was a drug pusher was not disqualify.

Once you're a Nigerian by birth, dual citizenship doesn't stop you from contesting for elections.

trutharena:
Lol Atiku the Cameroonian self dey talk.

These guys know they never won any election so they are just using their followers to play.

Show us the proof that you won the election, Atiku no fit. But instead he wants the court to disqualify the winner.

let inec upload all the presidential election result into the irev in clear form.

Revolution2022:
let inec upload all the presidential election result into the irev in clear form.

So all the INEC election since 1999 that wasn’t uploaded online are not valid election?

Your party agents across the country have the result with them. Why can’t they bring it forward if they truly won?

Use your brain, Obi and Atiku just dey whyne their supporters. Obi the clownn once said “I won and I will prove it”, only for him to get to court and be praying for Tinubu to be disqualified and 25% Abuja nonsense.

[quote author=trutharena post=124606499]

So all the INEC election since 1999 that wasn’t uploaded online are not valid election?

Your party agents across the country have the result with them. Why can’t they bring it forward if they truly won?

Use your brain, Obi and Atiku just dey whyne their supporters. Obi the clownn once said “I won and I will prove it”, only for him to get to court and be praying for Tinubu to be disqualified and 25% Abuja nonsense.
[/quoteit is ]not all political party that can fund party agents like your party that uses public funds to pay party agents.if you are confident that your party won you wont be worried about the uploading of election result into the irev.

Section 28: Subject to the other provisions of this section, a person shall forfeit forthwith his Nigerian citizenship if, not being a citizen of Nigeria by birth, he acquires or retains the citizenship or nationality of a country, other than Nigeria, of which he is not a citizen by birth.


Section 137: (1) A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if -

(a) subject to the provisions of section 28 of this Constitution, he has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a country other than Nigeria or, except in such cases as may be prescribed by the National Assembly, he has made a declaration of allegiance to such other country.





So Atiku's lawyers didn't see section 28 of the constitution? These SANs are overrated and overpriced. Maybe dem wan just chop Atiku. Lol 🤣🤣🤣

Once you're a Nigerian by birth, you can't be disqualified from contesting election because of dual citizenship. Tinubu is a Nigerian by birth.