By Fawaz Adebisi
Chicago State University, United States of America, has released President Bola Tinubu’s academic records to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The release came in compliance with a United States District Court order from the Northern District of Illinois.
In a significant legal development, a US district judge dismissed President Tinubu’s objections, stating, “For the foregoing reasons, the court overrules President Tinubu’s objections to Magistrate Judge Gilbert’s recommended ruling, and therefore, adopts the ruling in full.”
The court has set an expedited schedule for completing the discovery process, considering the pending Supreme Court of Nigeria deadline of October 5, 2023.
Chicago State University has been directed to produce all relevant and non-privileged documents in response to Requests for Production.
However, it’s worth noting that in the CSU documents, which became public late Monday night, the institution responded to Atiku’s request for “A true and correct copy of any diploma issued by CSU in 1979 to Mr. Tinubu” by stating that they do not typically retain copies of student diplomas and could not locate a copy of the original diploma issued to Mr. Tinubu in 1979.
Atiku Abubakar’s intention to use President Tinubu’s academic records in his appeal at the Supreme Court, where he challenges Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 presidential election, has added a new dimension to this legal battle.
President Tinubu’s legal team, however, argues that these documents hold no significance in the Supreme Court proceedings. The release of these records marks a critical point in this ongoing legal dispute.
