By Ade Martins-
The Presidential Election Petition Court sitting in Abuja, Nigeria on Monday, declined attempts by a sitting governor to represent the president elect in the court trial in which multiple political party’s are contesting the election victory of Bola Tinubu.
Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau had presented himself as the representative of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu only to be told that his idea was not workable.
“My Lord’s my name is Simon Lalong and I am here to represent Tinubu,” the governor told the court, but Justice Haruna Tsammani led a five-member panel that declined to recognize him as Tinubu’s representative.
“You cannot represent an individual. Tinubu is not a corporation that would need a representative,” the presiding justice held.
“My Lords, in that case, I will represent the All Progressives Congress, APC,” Governor Lalong responded.
Sceptics believe Tinubu is avoiding taking the stand to avoid the many questions that could be put to him by lawyers about the elections and his own personal life
However, some analysts have said that because the election legal challenge is not a criminal trial, it is not mandatory for the president-elect to attend in person. Most agree that only lawyers can represent him, not individuals.
Tinubu’s critics say he is unfit to be the president of Nigeria because of criminal allegations against him, and as well as a shady past.
Last year, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) indicated that the Commission is currently investigating Bola Tinubu, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to an investigation published yesterday by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), 17 of the properties were bought by Oladipo Eludoyin, Tinubu’s associate and a director of Aranda Overseas Corp., between 2004 and 2007.
The OCCRP is a global network of investigative journalists with staff on six continents, whose main objective is combating corruption and crime prevention.
Earlier on Tuesday, a Bloomberg investigation reported that Seyi, Tinubu’s son, is the main shareholder of Aranda Overseas Corp. – an offshore company he used in purchasing a $10.8 million property under probe by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The OCCRP reported yesterday: “Tinubu, whose victory in February is being challenged in court, has been keeping part of his wealth in the United Kingdom, where he and his close associates own at least 20 properties that were mostly acquired when Tinubu was the governor of Lagos State.
“OCCRP has uncovered more than a dozen other properties with links to Tinubu. Tinubu’s spokesman did not respond to email and text messages seeking comment,” the investigation reads.
“Tinubu’s history is not entirely clean. He was forced to forfeit $460,000 to the U.S. government in 1993 as proceeds of narcotics trafficking, according to the ruling of a U.S. District Court in Illinois.
“However, about a year later, Abeeb Holdings Limited, an offshore company registered in Gibraltar with Tinubu as the beneficial owner, bought Flat 9 at 96-100 New Cavendish Street in London.
“His connection to Abeeb Holdings Limited has been revealed, thanks to the Register of Overseas Entities, a new measure designed by the UK to reveal the true owners of offshore firms that hold property in the country,” the OCCRP said.
The OCCRP said it later found that Eludoyin is also the beneficial owner of 17 UK properties through three offshore companies registered in the British Virgin Islands.
The sitting court is expected to base its judgement purely on the evidence associated with the elections, not a criminal dealings of Tinubu.
Some commentators say a president of a country cannot have any criminal past or dealings.
Four party’s are contesting the legitimacy of the 2023 elections
One of the top contenders in the legal dispute, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has urged the Presidential Election Petition Court to allow a live broadcast of the court’s proceedings.
Prayers
Atiku and the PDP who jointly filed their petition at the court are praying for “An order Directing the Court’s Registry and the parties on modalities for admission of media practitioners and their equipment into the courtroom.”
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In the request filed by his lawyer, Chris Uche, a SAN, Atiku argued that the petitions before the court are “matters of national concern involving citizens who voted during the last election.”
READ ALSO: Atiku, PDP seek live broadcast of election petition court proceedings
Atiku further argued that the litig