“No record shows Tinubu was arrested, convicted of drug trafficking in US,” Tribunal rules

The panel of Justices that made up of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on Wednesday submitted that there was no record showing that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was arrested and convicted of drug trafficking in the United States of America.

The ruling was in response to the Labour Party’s petition seeking to upturn the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and declare Mr Peter Gregory Obi winner on grounds that Tinubu was arrested, convicted and forfeited sum of money in the Us.

Peter Obi’s case was struck out for lack of evidence that Tinubu’s forfeiture of funds in the USA amounts to a conviction of a criminal act, adding that Tinubu cannot be disqualified, “based on his forfeiture of drug money in the United States.”

The court also relied on the Nigeria Police Force clearance of Tinubu of any criminal issues in the U.S.

The inquiry was made by the Police from the US authority., which came through an inquiry the police had made to U.S. law enforcement.

The court said Tinubu has been able to enter and exit the U.S., which means he has no criminal case.

Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC) also rejected the testimonies of 10 out of 13 witnesses called by the Labour Party (LP) and its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Justice Haruna Tsammani, who read the judgment on Wednesday, the tribunal held that the witnesses’ oath statements were incompetent and not admissible.

Earlier, the tribunal had ruled that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu lacked the locus standi to challenge Obi’s membership of the LP.