“US Court Orders Disclosure of Bola Tinubu’s Academic Records to Atiku Abubakar in Election Challenge”
In a recent development, a US court has mandated Chicago State University to provide Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s academic records to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
This directive, issued on September 30, 2023, by Judge Nancy Maldonado of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, comes in response to Abubakar’s legal challenge to Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 Nigerian presidential election.
Abubakar had initiated a subpoena against Chicago State University, seeking access to Tinubu’s academic records as part of his efforts to contest the election results. Allegations of Tinubu falsifying his educational qualifications have swirled, prompting Abubakar to pursue legal avenues to potentially overturn the election outcome.
Initially, Chicago State University objected to divulging Tinubu’s academic records, citing their confidential nature as student records. Nevertheless, Judge Maldonado ruled that Abubakar had a valid interest in acquiring these records to ensure a fair trial.
The court has set a deadline of 12:00 p.m. (noon) CDT on Monday, October 2, 2023, for Chicago State University to produce the requested documents. Additionally, a Rule 30(b)(6) deposition of a CSU corporate designee must be completed by 5:00 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, October 3, 2023.
The disclosure of Tinubu’s academic records could potentially have far-reaching consequences for the legal challenge surrounding his victory in the Nigerian presidential election. Should these records reveal evidence of academic qualification falsification, it may pave the way for the election results to be overturned.