By Eric Elezuo

The Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, and one his closest confidants, Mr. Abba Kyari, may be in for the greatest test of his career as a lawyer, Mr. Kalu Kalu Agu of Kalu and Kalu Associates has petitioned the Metropolitan Police, London, alleging that the President’s right hand man presented a forged document and lied on oath while testifying on behalf of the President and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the just concluded Presidential Election Tribunal.

The man, who is regarded as the brain box of the Buhari administration, found himself on the other side of the law, when on July 30, 2019, while standing as a prime witness for Buhari and the APC, declared that he personally took delivery of a Cambridge Assessment International Education document issued in the name of Mohammed Buhari.

In the petition titled PETITION AGAINST MR. ABBA KYARI FOR FORGING CAMBRIDGE ASSESSMENT INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION DOCUMENT, and addressed to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Mr. Agu requested the outfit to conduct an official investigation to determine the circumstance behind the procurement of the said document in the terms of source of procurement and other sundry matters.

In its opening paragraph, the petition noted thus;

“On the 30th of July, 2019, one Mr. Abba Kyari claimed to have procured from CAMBRIDGE ASSESSMENT INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION in London and within the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom a certifying statement , a ddocument of controversy, if not dubious origin for the sole purpose of deceiving the general public in the United Kingdom and Nigeria”

Faulting the process under which the document was procured, which the petitioner claimed nullified its authenticity, he further highlighted seven basic tips that supported his motion under which a third party can be issued the document. These, he said were revealed from the website of the Cambridge Assessment International Education. Among them is “that the CAMBRIDGE ASSESSMENT INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION only delivers the said ‘CERTIFYING STATEMENT’ either by email or by post and not by personal collection”.

Consequently, Mr. Agu called for the investigation of the said misrepresentation taking into consideration the following:

1. Where did Mr. Kyari get the certificate which he enclosed alongside his application form for the issuance of the said “CERTIFYING STATEMENT” which he claimed he procured from CAMBRIDGE ASSESSMENT INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION among five other demands.
2. Whether Mr Abba Kyari as an individual can apply for the said “CERTIFYING STATEMENT” not being an ACADEMIC INSTITUTION or an EMPLOYER of the candidate?
3. Whether the said “CERTIFYING STATEMENT” can be delivered to Mr. Abba Kyari by hand as he claimed he signed and personally collected same by hand in UK?
4. Evidence of the said application by Mr. Abba Kyari to the CAMBRIDGE ASSESSMENT INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
5. Evidence of the mandatory payment of the fee for the issuance of the said “CERTIFYING STATEMENT”
6. Evidence of the candidate’s AUTHORISATION to the CAMBRIDGE ASSESSMENT INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION for the release of the said “CERTIFYING STATEMENT” to Mr. Abba Kyari

The petitioner concluded by praying thus:

“With the greatest respect, sir, in the circumstance the said “CERTIFYING STATEMENT” claimed to have been procured by Mr. Abba Kyari is found to be forged, it will be of great service to United Kingdom, Nigeria and the International Community that Mr. Abba Kyari is arrested and arraigned in a court of competent jurisdiction in the UNITED KINGDOM for FORGERY.

Mr. Kyari, a prominent member of the President Buhari cabinet, has been in the news mostly for the wrong reasons ever since he joined the administration took root on August 27, 2015. He has been accused in many quarters as being the ‘head of the cabal’ Nigerians have speculated as leading the government. He is also a close relative of President Buhari.

A product of three prominent England based institutions of higher learning, Abba Kyari worked for the law firm Fani-Kayode and Sowemimo for some time after his return to Nigeria. He also served as Editor with the New Africa Holdings Limited Kaduna. In 1990 he served as Commissioner for Forestry and Animal Resources in Borno State. From 1990 to 1995, Kyari was Secretary to the Board of African International Bank Limited. Abba Kyari was Executive Director, Management Services, United Bank for Africa Plc. (UBA) and was later appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Bank. He was appointed a Director of Unilever Nigeria Plc in 2002 and is a Director of Exxon Mobil Nigeria. He is a recipient of the Nigerian Honor Award of Officer of the Order of the Niger (O.O.N).

Mr. Agu, on his part, has remained an albatross on the neck of President Buhari and his administration, moving from one court to another and seeking one injunction after another against the incumbent.

In January 2019, Agu joined the duo of Labaran Ismail and Hassy El-Kuris, to stop President Buhari from contesting the 2019 Presidential Election, alleging that the President lied in his form CF 001 submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission regarding his educational qualifications and certificates. However, the case was struck out in July by a three-member panel of justices, which unanimously held that the matter lacks merit, having been filed outside the time provided by Section 285 of the Nigerian Constitution.

If the Metropolitan Police heeds the petition, and conducts an investigation, it may just boost the chances of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the tussle to snatch Buhari’s presidency gets tougher.