US Court: Tinubu Faces Deadline to Defend His Chicago State University Records Against Atiku’s Petition

Patrick OdeyAugust 16, 2023

1 minute read

President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has until August 23 to present convincing arguments to a United States court on why his academic records at the Chicago State University should not be disclosed to his main challenger in the February 25 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar.

The deadline was set by Jeffrey Gilbert, the new magistrate judge assigned to the case at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago, on August 9.

The court filings seen by Peoples Gazette also showed that Atiku has until September 9 to respond to Tinubu’s arguments.

The case is part of Atiku’s legal challenge to Tinubu’s election victory, which he claimed was marred by irregularities and fraud. Atiku and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, have filed petitions at Nigeria’s election tribunal, seeking to nullify Tinubu’s victory and declare them as the rightful winners of the election.

On July 11, Atiku also filed a petition at the U.S. court, seeking to obtain further details of Tinubu’s academic records at the Chicago State University, where he claimed to have obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1983. Atiku said he wanted to verify the authenticity of Tinubu’s claims, as he is currently Nigeria’s president and facing various court proceedings concerning his election and his educational qualifications.

Atiku, through his counsel, Angela M. Liu, requested the court to order the university to release records of Tinubu’s admission and acceptance, dates of attendance, degrees, awards and honors attained by him at the university.

However, Tinubu has opposed Atiku’s petition and filed a motion to prevent the university from releasing his educational records.

Tinubu’s counsel, Victor P. Henderson, argued that Atiku’s petition was invalid and an improper fishing expedition about a foreign public official. He also said that Atiku did not follow the proper procedure and timeline for issuing a subpoena to the university.

The court is expected to rule on the matter before September 21, when Nigeria’s election tribunal will likely deliver its judgement on Atiku’s petitions. The outcome of the case could have significant implications for Tinubu’s political career and credibility as Nigeria’s president