POLITICS: WATERMARK ON PEPC JUDGEMENT COPY: TINUBU’S LAWYERS REACT

 

WATERMARK ON PEPC JUDGEMENT COPY 

TINUBU’S LAWYERS REACT

President Bola Tinubu’s legal team at the Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC) has described as “mischievous” claims over a copy of Wednesday’s tribunal’s judgment circulating online with “Tinubu’s Presidential Legal Team” (TPLT) in the header.

Babatunde OGALA (SAN), who is the Coordinator, TPLT, said that after the delivery of judgment in the election petitions by the Court of Appeal last Wednesday, the Court directed its registry to make physical copies of the document available to all parties in the matter the following day.

In a statement on Saturday, the TPLT said “The Tinubu Presidential Legal Team applied for a certified true copy of the said judgment and paid the prescribed fee. Lawyers for PDP were present at the registry at the same time to collect the same judgment,”

“In fact, the representative of the PDP collected the first copy that was made available by the registry.

“On collecting our own copy, we immediately scanned and water-marked with the inscription – Tinubu Presidential Legal Team ‘TPLT’ before circulating the scanned soft copies to the lawyers in our team.”

 

Ogala said there was  need to offer clarification, “following some mischievous insinuations being made in certain quarters regarding the innocuous water-mark of copies of the consolidated judgment of the Court of Appeal”.

THE FULL TEXT

Following some mischievous insinuations being made in certain quarters regarding the innocuous water-mark of copies of the consolidated judgment of the Court of Appeal with the inscription -“Tinubu Presidential Legal Team ‘TPLT’”, it has become necessary to offer this clarification.

After the delivery of judgment in the 3 (Three) election petitions by the Court of Appeal on September 6, 2023, the Court directed its registry to make physical copies of same available on September 7, 2023.

Accordingly, the Tinubu Presidential Legal Team applied for a certified true copy of the said judgment and paid the prescribed fee.

Lawyers for PDP were present at the registry at the same time to collect the same judgment.

In fact, the representative of the PDP collected the first copy that was made available by the registry.

On collecting our own copy, we immediately scanned and water-marked with the inscription – “Tinubu Presidential Legal Team ‘TPLT’” before circulating the scanned soft copies to the lawyers in our team.

The certified true copies issued to us and other parties in the petitions by the registry do not contain the said inscription and any insinuation to the contrary is untrue.

Counsel to the petitioners will also appreciate the fact that the insinuations being circulated in some quarters are untrue, unkind, unfair, and unfortunate, as they have the same certified copies of the judgment as we have.

 

Babatunde OGALA, SAN; OFR.

Coordinator, TPLT