A United States Court has ruled that Chicago State University (CSU) must release the academic records of President Bola Tinubu to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
This order comes as part of an ongoing legal battle and follows the ruling of U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffery Gilbert on September 20, 2023, which had initially directed CSU to provide these records to Atiku Abubakar.
Presiding Judge Nancy Maldonado dismissed President Tinubu’s objection, upholding the earlier ruling and issuing a two-day ultimatum for CSU to comply with the order.
Judge Maldonado emphasized that Atiku Abubakar had the right to access the requested academic records.
In her ruling, Judge Maldonado stated, “For the reasons stated in the Court’s accompanying Memorandum Opinion and Order, the Court overrules President Tinubu’s objections and adopts Judge Gilbert’s recommended decision in full. The Court, therefore, grants Mr. Abubakar’s application under 28 U.S.C. § 1782.”
The court has set specific deadlines for CSU to produce the requested documents. CSU is directed to produce all relevant and non-privileged documents in response to Atiku Abubakar’s subpoena by 12:00 p.m. (noon) CDT on Monday, October 2, 2023. Additionally, the Rule 30(b)(6) deposition of CSU’s corporate designee must be completed by 5:00 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, October 3, 2023.
Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had approached the U.S. District Court in Northern Illinois with a request to compel Chicago State University to release President Bola Tinubu’s academic records.
Atiku Abubakar argued that these records would be essential in his legal challenge of the President’s election in the February 25 presidential poll.
The former Vice President requested the documents to support his claim that President Tinubu had forged a certificate, which he alleged was obtained from CSU in 1979 and submitted to Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2023 presidential election.
