Atiku Takes Tinubu to US Federal Court Over Academic Records

Former Nigerian Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, has filed a new lawsuit against the current president, Bola Tinubu, at the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, United States.

This comes after he withdrew a previous case from a lower court in Illinois, where he had sought the release of Tinubu’s academic records from the Chicago State University.

Atiku originally filed the lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, but it was dismissed in July 2023. Atiku’s lawyers withdrew the lawsuit after the court ruled that they had not properly served Tinubu with the complaint.

In the new lawsuit, Atiku’s lawyers have corrected the service defect and are seeking a new trial. They argue that Tinubu’s academic records are relevant to his eligibility to be president of Nigeria.

Atiku Abubakar, who ran for president under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last general election, had accused Tinubu of falsifying his educational qualifications and demanded that the Chicago State University (CSU) disclose his academic records.

According to Phrank Shaibu, Special Assistant on Public Communications to Atiku Abubakar, the withdrawal was a strategic move to pursue the matter in a higher court and avoid abuse of court processes.

He said that this was just the beginning of the legal battle and that Tinubu and his supporters should not celebrate as if they had won a Supreme Court judgement.

Tinubu, who was elected as president on May 29, 2023, under the All Progressives Congress (APC) party, has not commented on the lawsuit or the allegations against him. He has been widely criticized for his handling of the economic and fuel challenges facing Nigeria.

The refiling of the lawsuit in the United States is a significant development in the ongoing battle between Atiku and Tinubu. It remains to be seen whether the court will grant Atiku’s request for a new trial.

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