Chicago State University (CSU) has responded to the request by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, to access the academic records of President Bola Tinubu during his time at the institution.
Abubakar took the initiative to take the matter to a US Court in an attempt to compel the university to release an acceptance letter, attendance records, and other pertinent documents from Tinubu’s undergraduate years at the university.
In his petition, Atiku’s legal representative, Angela M. Liu, demanded documents that encompass Tinubu’s enrolment and admission records, attendance dates, as well as any degrees or honours awarded to him by the university.
Atiku’s legal team emphasised that the subpoena was pursued with the intention of verifying the accuracy of Tinubu’s claims. They underscored the fact that Tinubu presently holds the position of the president of Nigeria and is currently embroiled in various legal conflicts pertaining to his election and the credibility of documents affirming his enrolment at Chicago State University.
In response, CSU affirmed that President Tinubu did indeed graduate from the institution.
A document shared by the PDP via their official Twitter account on Thursday, August 24, conveyed CSU’s view that it finds it perplexing how Tinubu’s academic records could hold any relevance to a 2023 election dispute in a foreign country.
Nevertheless, the university clarified that Tinubu’s academic records would be disclosed if mandated by a court order in the United States.
“Bola Tinubu, the President of Nigeria, graduated from the University in 1979. One of his political opponents, Abubakar, seeks discovery from the University of Tinubu’s student records and information about the dates and circumstances certain diplomas were issued by the University, asserting such discovery is pertinent to a Nigerian proceeding challenging Tinubu’s election earlier this year.
“The student records Abubakar seeks from the University via a documents subpoena (Doc.1-1) and the information Abubakar seeks the University to provide pursuant to a deposition subpoena (Dec. 1-2) concern Tinubu’s private educational records. But since Tinubu has intervened to oppose this discovery, the University defers to Tinubu on the privacy issues implicated by Abubakar’s Application,” the statement reads.
The university expressed difficulty in comprehending how, given that Tinubu did indeed graduate in 1979, his academic records from the 1970s, along with details about the issuance of ceremonial diplomas, could impact a 2023 election dispute in a foreign country.
The CSU acknowledged that it lacks familiarity with the specifics of the Nigerian proceedings or the legal principles applicable therein.
Hence, CSU has deferred to Tinubu, who is engaged in the foreign proceedings, to raise objections to Atiku’s application.
“The University respectfully requests that this Court, in ruling on the application, scrutinise both the actual status of the Nigerian proceeding and the likelihood that any discovery information provided by the University would, in fact, be considered in the Nigerian proceeding.
“The University Reserves Objections to the Scope of the Discovery Sought by Abubakar. Finally, in the event the Court determines to allow any discovery to proceed here, the University urges the Court to direct only limited, targeted discovery on the University.
CSU concluded by stating that if the Court permits any discovery following its ruling on the request, the university will promptly and earnestly engage with Atiku’s legal representatives to address all of the university’s concerns.
On Tuesday, August 1, the Presidential Election Tribunal reserved judgment on the petitions filed by Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) regarding the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.
