Chief Osita Chidoka, former Minister of Aviation, has reacted to the oral deposition of Caleb Westberg, Registrar of Chicago State University (CSU), who said the institution is not in possession of the certificate that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) prior to the February 25, 2023 election.
A deposition is the process of taking a sworn, out-of-court oral testimony of a witness. This testimony may be reduced to a written transcript for use in court or for discovery purposes.
Westberg spoke while giving an oral deposition on the release of Tinubu’s academic records to Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 election.
Atiku had requested the documents to back his allegation of forgery of CSU certificate against Tinubu.
The allegation of forgery was one of those dismissed by the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in the suit Atiku filed to challenge the election of Tinubu.
Despite the court’s ruling, Atiku continued his case at the U.S. court, hoping to get official documents to back his claim and possibly include them in his appeal at the Supreme Court.
He had argued that there were discrepancies in the certificate Tinubu submitted to the INEC which should have rendered him ineligible to contest the election.
Speaking on Arise TV, Chijoka said it was a national embarrassment that should not be swept under the carpet.
While calling on the President to immediately resign to save the country from further embarrassment, he urged the Supreme Court to put aside needless legalism and technicality in handling petitions pending before it regarding Tinubu’s Presidency.
“We are going to submit it to the Supreme Court. Whether they will accept it is a question for them. I think this is beyond legalism. I don’t think Nigeria as a country should be discussing whether the Supreme Court would accept it. We are internationally embarrassed. We are going to be the centre of international conversation.
“The Supreme Court would be doing itself and the country a great disservice if it does not take judicial notice of what the CSU disposition has done,” he said.
On Saturday, Chidoka had described the earlier U.S. Court order directing CSU to release the academic records of Tinubu to Atiku, as a national disgrace.
He said it was worrisome that authorities such as Department of States Services (DSS), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the Embassy of Nigeria with its staff in Washington DC could not unravel the circumstances surrounding the academic history of the President, leaving the task for Atiku.
According to the statement by Chidoka: “That all the aforementioned institutions allowed a man to be sworn in without definitive statements about his qualifications is a national tragedy. For 23 years the issue of President Tinubu has been a recurring decimal in our national equation. Under his reign, a current youth corps member is serving as Minister, and people under investigation by EFCC and made public are sitting in the Federal Executive Council. And they all passed through security screening.”
He further said in the statement that the leadership and relevant institutions of Nigeria should bow their heads in shame, if eventually it is discovered the occupier of the nation’s number one office forged his certificates.