The administration of ex-President, Goodluck Jonathan, filed a suit against Bola Tinubu in respect to late 90s ‘perjury’ in January 2011.
According to copies of the federal information obtained by the Peoples Gazette, Jonathan’s administration, however, stepped it down.
Court filings obtained by The Gazette showed that Jonathan filed the matter before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court on January 12, 2011, at 1:27 p.m.
Jonathan’s administration accused Tinubu of lying under oath to have attended Government College, Ibadan, between 1962 and 1965, in his INEC CF001 governorship form.
The two-count indictment included an accusation that Tinubu made “a false statement on oath to wit: you stated on the said Form CF 001 that you attended Government College, Ibadan between 1962 and 1965 both dates inclusive whereas in truth you did not attend the said school within the stated period and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 191 of the Criminal Code Cap 77 laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990 as retained in section 191 Cap C38 of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.”
But less than two weeks later, on January 25, 2011, former Attorney-General of the Federation, Bello Adoke asked the court to strike out the matter, saying he was filing the charges in another court, a claim that turned out false since no fresh charges before the administration ended on May 29, 2015, about four years later.
The case and its withdrawal were first disclosed to Sahara Reporters in December 2014, with the outlet saying Tinubu may have cut a deal to endorse Jonathan’s 2011 candidacy in order to avoid being sent to jail, which could’ve imperilled his future political aspirations.
The Gazette has now obtained the documents showing how the case was filed and withdrawn by the Jonathan administration.
Adoke told Judge Ibrahim Auta, who retired as chief judge of the Federal High Court in 2017, that he was refiling in another court in the interest of justice.
When reached by The Gazette about why he let Tinubu walk, Adoke initially categorically denied that any charges were filed, saying: “I can confirm to you very categorically that no such filing ever took place.”
But when informed of the specifics of the court documents, Adoke said the charges were withdrawn because he did not authorise them to be filed in the first place.
“The instructions, if any, did not emanate from me,” he said. “Hence the withdrawal.”
He also insisted that Jonathan did not approve the case to be filed, saying he hoped his response would sufficiently lay the matter to rest.
The former attorney general said, “For the avoidance of doubt, President Jonathan never authorised me to file charges against President Tinubu, and neither did I authorise same.
“I hope this clarifies it all. Thank you.”
Despite being lifelong political adversaries, Tinubu suddenly backed Jonathan for the presidency in 2011, against his own party’s candidate, Nuhu Ribadu.
