Judge Jeffrey Gilbert of the U.S District Court, Northern District of Illinois, has issued an order for Chicago State University (CSU) to disclose the academic records of President Bola Tinubu in response to a case involving Abubakar Atiku.
The ruling by Judge Gilbert, a U.S. magistrate judge, came on Tuesday, and it compels CSU to provide “all relevant and non-privileged documents” to Abubakar Atiku, the plaintiff, within a two-day timeframe.
Although the ruling is being viewed as a victory for Atiku, it appears that the information he will receive may not go beyond what CSU has already publicly disclosed.
Tinubu’s legal team has maintained their client’s reluctance to waive his privacy privilege, a stance acknowledged in the ruling by using the term “non-privileged documents.”
CSU, in its deposition before the court, consistently confirmed Tinubu’s attendance at the university and his graduation in 1979. According to @Renerodrig1142, who has been closely following the case, Atiku is expected to obtain a copy of Tinubu’s academic records, including the admission letter and exam sheets. However, there is no indication of any new information emerging from this development.
It’s important to note that this settlement in the United States may not directly impact the legal case in Nigeria, rendering it potentially inconsequential in the broader context.
Atiku’s request for this information is intended for use in his petition against Bola Tinubu’s election as President. On Tuesday, Atiku initiated proceedings at the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), which had affirmed Tinubu’s election on September 6.
Atiku’s Notice of Appeal, which rests on 35 grounds, argues that the PEPC committed significant errors and miscarriages of justice in its findings and conclusions regarding the petition challenging Tinubu’s declaration as President by INEC.
In the appeal, Atiku contends that the tribunal failed to nullify the presidential election held on February 25, citing non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022 and grave and gross misrepresentation by INEC. He also highlights the tribunal’s alleged failure to consider the Doctrine of Legitimate Expectation in the case of INEC’s failure to conduct the election in accordance with its own guidelines and the Electoral Act 2022.
