The validity of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s claimed Diploma Certificate from Chicago State University (CSU) continues to be a subject of controversy.
In the latest development, Mr. Carl Westberg, a senior official at Chicago State University and the university’s Registrar, stated under oath that the replacement copy of the Diploma certificate submitted by Tinubu to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did not originate from the institution.
Westberg, testifying in court as a subpoenaed witness, confirmed that he was seeing the Diploma certificate copy for the first time during the proceedings. This testimony was presented in response to an order by Judge Nancy Maldonado to release Tinubu’s academic documents to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Atiku Abubakar, who contested the February 25, 2023 presidential election against Tinubu, raised concerns about Tinubu’s eligibility, alleging that he submitted forged documents to INEC to secure his candidacy. In pursuit of this claim, Atiku sought a US District Court order to compel CSU to release Tinubu’s academic records for verification.
Upon the court’s order, CSU released the academic records, and Westberg testified under oath that Tinubu’s Diploma certificate, which he claimed to have obtained from the university, was not an official document of the institution. Westberg also highlighted discrepancies in signatures, logos, and seals between the certificate Tinubu submitted to INEC and those issued in the 1990s, as opposed to 1979, as claimed by Tinubu.
A certified true copy of the deposition and cross-examination is expected to be provided to Atiku as evidence to support his allegation of forgery against Tinubu.
Atiku’s case seeking Tinubu’s disqualification from the 2023 presidential election is currently pending before the Supreme Court of Nigeria.