ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Michael Bamidele, Senate Majority Leader, says there were no criminal charges against President Bola Tinubu in any United States court.
Senator Bamidele was called as a sole witness during the proceedings of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja.
He explained that the $460, 000 forfeiture order against the President by an American court was in respect of a civil matter that could not take the place of criminal charges.
The Senate Leader said there was no conviction and sentence against President Tinubu as required by law for it to be turned into criminal charges.
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Also, the witness told the court that the 25 February presidential election results for All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State were recorded with a shortfall of 10, 292 votes against Tinubu.
Meanwhile, Tinubu and the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, along with their party, the ruling APC have closed their defence in the joint petition filed by the Labour Party and its candidate, Mr Peter Obi.
The trio are co-respondents in the petition by the LP and Obi challenging their victory in the 25 February presidential election.
The respondents through their team of lawyers led by Wole Olanipekun, SAN, (for Tinubu and Shettima) and Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, (for the APC) closed their defence after tendering several documents and calling a witness to testify in aid of their counter-arguments against the issues raised by the petitioners.
The five-man panel of the court presided over by Justice Haruna Tsammani admitted the documents as evidence and marked them as exhibits, despite the objections by the petitioners.
The court gave the respondents 10 days to file their final written addresses, the petitioner seven days to respond and five days to reply on point of law.
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In his judgement, Justice Tsammani said the date for the adoption of the final written addresses would be communicated to the parties.
Under cross-examination by counsel for the APC, Fagbemi, SAN, Bamidele told the court that Obiâs name was not contained in the membership list of the LP submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Other documents tendered and admitted during Wednesdayâs proceedings include a letter from the Nigeria Police to the United States Embassy, dated 3 February, 2003; a letter from the United States Embassy to the Nigeria Police, dated 4 February, 2003; and US Visas and immigration documents between 2011 and 2021.