If the injunction is granted by a US court, Chicago State University (CSU) says it will make President Bola Tinubu’s academic records available.
In a now-public letter, the institution requested that the court order “only limited and targeted discovery” of the data requested by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar.
News About Nigeria reports that Atiku had asked a US court in Chicago’s northern district of Illinois for an injunction ordering CSU to divulge Tinubu’s academic records.
According to his credentials, Tinubu earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration, accounting, and management from CSU in 1979.
In response to Atiku’s request, the institution stated that it does not “understand” how Tinubu’s academic achievements “could possibly have any bearing on a 2023 election challenge in a foreign country”.
The applicant is also requesting information about one of his former employees’ employment, according to CSU, who claimed that some of the application’s requests are “clearly inappropriate.”
“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 said in a response filed by Michael Hayes, its counsel.
There have been suspicions of irregularities with Tinubu’s certificate.
Atiku requested that the court subpoena Tinubu’s data stored at CSU in the lawsuit he filed with the US district court.
According to Atiku, the documents will put to rest the debate over Tinubu’s educational background and support the election petition tribunal.
The president, however, has submitted a counterapplication contesting the demand for the publication of his academic records through his lawyers.
The US court also ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear the former vice president’s lawsuit.
The presidential election petition tribunal accepted certified copies of Tinubu’s academic and professional records presented by Atiku and the PDP on June 23.
The credentials, which included a BSc certificate from Chicago State University, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate, and a certificate of service from Mobil Nigeria Oil Plc, were presented through a witness.
A lawyer for Tinubu submitted 12 documents on July 4 that contained the president’s CSU academic transcripts.
Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, as part of their petitions at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, claimed before the court that Tinubu misrepresented his age and had contradictory academic and personal histories.
