A federal court in Chicago has ruled that Chicago State University (CSU) must provide all records related to Bola Tinubu to Mr. Abubakar within two days.
In a significant development in the ongoing legal battles surrounding the recent Nigerian presidential election, a U.S. District Court has issued a ruling ordering Chicago State University (CSU) to release all the academic records of Bola Tinubu. The decision comes as a significant win for Abubakar Atiku, the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
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The ruling, handed down by Honorable Judge Jeffrey Gilbert of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, comes in response to a civil case filed by Atiku Abubakar against Chicago State University (1:23-cv-05099). Atiku’s request for the release of Tinubu’s academic records has been granted.
Judge Jeffrey Gilbert, who presided over the case, stated that Mr. Abubakar has sufficiently satisfied the purpose for seeking these records. The court has also ordered a deposition of designated CSU officials to take place within two days after the release of the records, with the possibility of conducting it during the weekend if necessary.
Mr. Gilbert’s ruling affirmed, “For all of the reasons discussed above, Atiku Abubakar’s application pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §.”
This development follows Mr. Abubakar’s appeal to the Supreme Court, filed earlier on the same day. This appeal comes in response to the presidential election petitions tribunal’s September 6 judgment that upheld Mr. Tinubu’s victory.
Mr. Abubakar initially filed an application on August 2, requesting the court to compel CSU to produce documents related to Mr. Tinubu and to secure the school’s administrators to authenticate any documents submitted under oath.
The core of Mr. Abubakar’s challenge against Mr. Tinubu’s election is based on the claim that Mr. Tinubu submitted a forged document under oath in violation of the Nigerian Constitution. Section 137 (1)(j) of the Nigerian Constitution (amended in 2010) explicitly states that no one can be legitimately elected president of Nigeria if they “have presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission.”
Mr. Tinubu submitted a certificate to INEC on June 17, 2022, claiming it was issued in 1979 and signed by Elnora Daniel. However, discrepancies arose as Ms. Daniel arrived at CSU in 1998, 19 years after Mr. Tinubu’s supposed graduation. She left the school in 2008, 14 years before June 2022 when CSU issued a fresh certificate in Mr. Tinubu’s name under subpoena from a Nigerian lawyer.
During a hearing on the matter on September 12, CSU’s lawyer, Michael Hayes, stated that the school could not authenticate Mr. Tinubu’s certificate if asked under oath. In contrast, Mr. Tinubu’s legal team argued against Mr. Abubakar’s application, contending that it aimed to tarnish the Nigerian president’s image and that the Nigerian Supreme Court would not accept fresh evidence not presented during the tribunal proceeding.
Judge Gilbert, however, emphasized that courts across the U.S. have traditionally taken a broad and liberal view when granting applications under Section 1782, allowing for the release of documents and evidence for use in foreign proceedings.
The decision to release Tinubu’s academic records is expected to shed light on his educational background, a topic of contention and speculation in Nigerian politics. This development could have far-reaching implications in the ongoing political discourse surrounding the presidential election.
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Judge Gilbert’s ruling marks a significant step forward in the legal proceedings related to the presidential election. The release of these records will likely be closely scrutinized by all parties involved, with potential implications for the broader political landscape in Nigeria.
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As the legal battle continues, the public and political observers await the disclosure of these academic records to gain a clearer understanding of Bola Tinubu’s educational history, potentially influencing the ongoing political narrative.
