Chief Wole Olanipekun (President Muhammadu Buhari’s lead counsel) tendered 16 documents as evidence before the court and 18 other documents- “APC Roadmap To A New Nigeria”
The documents were not rejected by INEC, APC but the PDP and Atiku/Obi rejected the documents, describing such as strange and reasons for objection will be stated in the final written statement.
The documents were admitted in court as exhibit R118.
The second barge of documents are (8)
1. Cambridge assessment education certified documents for Muhammadu Buhari in 1961, passed the exams with grade II.
2. Cambridge assessment international education certified statements collection receipt number 1.
3. CTC (certified true copy) by WAEC showing the list of candidates that sat in 1961.
4. Group photographs of Buhari and others in 1961.
5. Print out of EVANS Nigeria News publication of January 22, 2015.
6. Certificate of compliance for the group photo of form 6 students taken in 1961 and the print out from Evans.
7. Commander of USA Army War College letter to General Alani Akinlade in commendation of Buhari dated 13 June 1980 (Not a certificate).
8. Copy of Buhari curriculum vitae signed by him.
These documents were tendered to the court by Chief Olanipekun.
The documents were not objected by INEC, APC but rejected by the PDP and Atiku/Obi.
*Note that there was no WAEC certificate among the documents*
The documents were admitted in court as evidence and marked as exhibit R19-26
Olanipekun called on first witness for Buhari listed as 250 on the witness list
General Paul Chabri Tarfa (Buhari’s friend).
Asked if he is a retired General in the Nigerian Army and he said yes.
INEC counsel Usman
Asked if he (Tarfa) was enlisted in the Nigerian Army with Buhari and he said yes
Asked which year and he said April 16, 1962.
Asked if the medium for the exams was English and he said yes.
Asked if he and Buhari passed the exams in flying colours and he said yes.
Asked if he can remember members of his course and he said Major General Ola Oni, Col. Ojukwu, Late Brigadier Shehu YarAdua, etc
Asked if he handed over his certificates to Military Board along with Buhari during admission and he said there was no such things (contrary to Buhari’s claim that his certificates were handed over during admission).
APC counsel Fagbemi
Asked if he (Tarfa) can confirm he is standing in for Muhammadu Buhari and he said yes.
Asked to look at exhibit R19 and asked to read the first sentence.
But the witness said he did not have his eye glasses he can’t read the sentence.
Asked if he knows Buhari since 57 years ago and he said yes.
Asked if promotion in the Army is based on merit and he said yes.
Asked if the course he undertook with Buhari was based on English and he said yes.
PDP and Atiku/Obi counsel
Asked if he (Tarfa) served Nigeria diligently and said that’s right.
Asked if all military formations are under Buhari’s authority and he said yes.
And he thanked him for being truthful.
Chief Olanipekun called witness number 5 on the witness list.
The witness, Suleiman Isa MaAdua, came in with a portrait (group photo)
Asked about his work and he said he is a retired civil servant.
INEC counsel Usman
Called for exhibit 22 and asked if he attended the same secondary school with Buhari and he said yes.
Asked if he had a photograph with him and other classmates and he said yes.
Asked him to look at the photograph in front of him and asked if he can identify himself and he said yes, extreme right.
Asked if he can recognise Buhari on the photo and he said yes, close to the principal.
Asked the name of the principal and he said Mr. miller
Asked what class and he said class six.
Asked if English language was the medium of communication in the school and he said yes.
APC counsel Fagbemi
Asked if he wrote his examination in 1961 and he said yes.
Asked if the picture was taken in 1961 and he said yes.
Asked if Umaru Abdullahi was his classmate and he siad yes.
Asked if Buhari was number 5 sitting down near the principal and he said yes.
Asked if Abdullahi was also in the group photo and he said yes.
Asked to read exhibit R19 and he read thus that the Cambridge statement verifies certificate issued.
PDP and Atiku/Obi counsel
Asked for exhibits p24 and p25
Asked if he knows when Muhammadu Buhari was recruited into the army and he said in 1961.
Asked how old he is and he said 777.
Asked if he was in the Army and he said no.
Asked if he knows who was the Military Board secretary in 2014 to 2015 and he said no.
Asked if he has seen Buhari’s form he submitted to INEC and he said no, that he has not seen it before.
Asked if is the same thing as certificates and he said no.
Showed him exhibit p24 and asked him to read and he read “Army speaks on Buhari’s certificate”
Asked to read a portion of the exhibit and he read that Buhari certificate was not in the Army possession.
Asked if he knows how many certificates Buhari has and he said yes, two
Chief Olanipekun called witness number 252 on the witness list.
Abba Kyari (President Buhari’s Chief of Staff)
Asked for exhibits r25 and r26
Asked if he is the COS to the President and he said yes.
Asked to look at paragraph 7 of his witness statement and asked to confirm a letter written to Buhari in the 1980s, describing him as the most distinguished fellow and he sighted the letter and said yes.
Asked him to look at paragraph 8 of his witness statement and asked if he can identify the curriculum vitae of Buhari and he sighted it and said yes.
INEC counsel Usman
Called for exhibits r5,6,19 and 28
Asked to look at r19 and asked if Buhari had credits in five subjects including English language and he said yes.
Asked since when he has been the COS to Buhari and he said since 27th of August 2015.
Asked if all his addresses to Nigeria were in English language.
Asked if all official communications has been in English and he said yes that English is the official language in Nigeria
Asked to look at exhibit r6 page 2 and he read that Atiku congratulated Buhari in the 2014 Presidential primary of the APC.
APC counsel Fagbemi
Asked for exhibits r19, 20 and 21
Asked to look at exhibit r19 and 21 to confirm if he was the one that collected the documents from Cambridge in 2019 and he said yes.
Asked how long he has known Buhari and he said nearly 40 years.
Asked if he can identify him when he was young and he said yes.
Presented with exhibit r21 (group photo) and he identified Buhari as number five from left to right.
Asked if he is aware that Adamawa was part of northern Cameroon and he said yes.
Asked if Jadda was part of Cameroon and he said yes.
Asked if he knows that Atiku was born in 1946 in Jadda and he said yes.
Asked if he has read an autobiography of Atiku and he said he has not read it.
Asked if he knows that a plebiscite was conducted in 1961 and he said yes.
Asked if northern Cameroon chose to align with Nigeria during the plebiscite and he said yes.
Asked if Jadda was then part of northern Cameroon and he said yes.
Asked if he knows Kojoli in Jadda and he said yes.
Asked if everyone born in Jadda were Cameroonian citizen by birth and he said yes.
PDP and Atiku/Obi counsel
Asked for exhibits r26, r6 and r19
Asked what year was exhibits r6 made and he said December 12, 2014.
Asked if Buhari was a member of his party APC and he said yes.
Asked if Atiku was a Vice President of Nigeria for eight years and he said yes.
Asked if Atiku contested for president under APC in 2014 and he said yes.
Asked how old he (Abba Kyari) is and he said 67.
Asked if he was a classmate of Buhari and he said no.
Asked if he personally knows the grand father of Atiku Abubakar and he said no.
Asked if he knows Atiku’s father and he said no.
Showed him exhibits r26 and asked if Buhari listed any certificates in his forms to inec and he looked at it and said no certificate listed
Asked to look at exhibit p1 that contains Buhari’s CV and asked if he listed any certificate therein and he said no.
Asked if he ever worked in the military and he said no.
Referred him to paragraph 7/6 of his witness statement and asked if it was listed in his CV and he said no.
Asked if he is from Borno State and he said yes.
Asked if he is a Cameroonian and he said no.
Asked if he has any certificates of Buhari in court and he said no.
Asked if he was the one that collected documents from Cambridge and he said yes.
Asked when the documents were delivered and he said 18th of July 2019.
Asked if he was surprised that Buhari is collecting this materials from Cambridge long after the petition was filed and he said no.
Court adjourned to Wednesday July 31, 2019, at 9:30am.