President Bola Tinubu has told the Northern District of Illinois Court that Atiku Abubakar’s request for his academic records from Chicago State University is irrelevant to Atiku’s legal complaint in Nigeria.
Tinubu also pointed out discrepancies between a certificate obtained by an Atiku witness in 2022 and the one he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) prior to the election, attributing the difference to university clerical errors.
On July 11, Atiku petitioned for details of Tinubu’s academic journey at Chicago State University, including admission records, dates of attendance, degrees earned, and any awards or honors.
Judge Jeffrey Gilbert ruled that the court could handle the case and set a deadline of August 23 for Tinubu’s response.
In his reply, through his legal team, Tinubu urged the court to reject Atiku’s request, claiming Atiku is not a vested party in a separate Nigerian petition where the information might be pertinent.
Atiku’s main assertion was that he would have triumphed in the February 25 presidential race if not for miscalculations and corrupt practices.
Regarding Tinubu’s academic credentials from Chicago, Atiku’s witness (Michael Enahoro-Ebah) obtained these records through a self-proclaimed Nigerian ‘public interest litigator’ who sought them from the university without court approval. Tinubu argued that the university made multiple errors in response to this unauthorized request, including misstating his graduation date.
Tinubu had previously petitioned the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, to dismiss a subpoena by Atiku, labeling it a baseless inquiry.
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