Please, Release only my certificate to Atiku; block Chicago University from revealing gender, transcript, other admission records —Tinubu begs judge

Please, Release only my certificate to Atiku; block Chicago University from revealing gender, transcript, other admission records —Tinubu begs judge”

 

 

 

President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has reluctantly agreed to release his university certificate to his political opponent, Atiku Abubakar, in the midst of an ongoing legal battle.

 

However, President Tinubu has fervently pleaded with Judge Nancy Maldonado of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois to block the release of other personal details, including gender and admission records.

 

This development follows a recent turn of events in the legal dispute brought forth by Mr. Abubakar, who has been seeking to establish that President Tinubu was ineligible to hold the office of Nigerian president despite his election victory in February 2023. President Tinubu’s victory came by a slim margin after a fallout between Mr. Abubakar and his running mate, Peter Obi, divided their potential votes.

 

President Tinubu’s decision to allow the release of his certificate comes after narrowly avoiding full disclosure on September 21. In a bid to obtain a stay of a magistrate judge’s order issued on September 19, President Tinubu and his legal team argued that there would be harm in allowing discovery on issues and documents outside the scope of his diploma.

 

A significant point of contention in this legal battle has been the identity of the individual admitted to Chicago State University in the 1970s. College transcripts surfaced, suggesting that a female named Bola Tinubu from Southwest College Chicago was admitted to CSU in 1977. President Tinubu’s lawyers, led by Victor Henderson and Christopher Carmichael, maintained that the documents Mr. Abubakar sought would not be admissible at the Supreme Court.

 

Nevertheless, they prepared for the possibility of an unfavorable ruling by asking the judge to order the certification of only the president’s election-run certificate.

 

Judge Jeffrey Gilbert’s previous ruling had compelled CSU administrators to confirm under oath the authenticity of President Tinubu’s certificate submitted in Nigeria. Additionally, they were required to provide a certificate issued to a CSU graduate in 1979, with personal identification redacted, and share communications related to a letter the school issued to President Tinubu in 2022.

 

President Tinubu expressed deep concern that allowing the deposition of CSU officials to proceed could inflict severe and irreparable damage to his life, alleging that Mr. Abubakar was engaged in a fishing expedition to fuel online conspiracy theories.

 

In a recent filing, an individual identifying himself as Olajide Adeniji submitted an affidavit, claiming to have attended school with President Tinubu from 1977 to 1979.

 

The legal battle continues to unfold in the United States District Court, and further details are expected to emerge as the case progresses.