Chicago State University releases Tinubu’s academic records

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Following an order by the District Court of Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, the Chicago State University has released the academic records of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

This is in response to the request by Nigeria’s former vice president, Atiku Abubakar who was also the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, during the 2023 elections.

Atiku had requested the university through a court order, to release the academic records of Nigeria’s president.

The documents sought by the PDP candidate, through his counsel, Angela Liu, include Tinubu’s record of admission and acceptance at the Chicago State University, dates of attendance as well as the degrees, awards, and honours obtained by Tinubu from the CSU.

Recall that Judge Nancy Maldonado of the Northern disctrict of Illinois in a judgement on Saturday, adopted all the ruling of Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Gilbert of the U.S. District Court and ordered the institution to provide all relevant and non-provileged documents of president Tinubu in response to a request made by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Earlier, President Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had objected to the Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Gilbert ruling ordering the immediate release of his academic records by the CSU, arguing that releasing the documents with deposition would cause him severe harm because they were private to him and would not be admissible in the ongoing petition against him in Nigeria.

However, Atiku reportedly filed another appeal which eventually led to the judge ordering that the documents be released within 48 hours on Saturday.

“The Court overrules President Tinubu’s objections to Magistrate Judge Gilbert’s recommended ruling, and therefore adopts the ruling in full. Mr Abubakar’s application is therefore granted,” the judge ruled.

Meanwhile, CSU, in a certificate of service signed by its counsel, Michael D. Hayes, stated that: “I hereby certify that on this 2nd day of October, 2023 the forgoing response to the Applicant’s Revised Subpoena to Produce Documents was served on all counsel of record by electronic mail.”

Details of the released documents sought by Atiku showed that CSU complied with his request for a true correct copy of diploma for Bachelor of Science degree issued in 1979 and Bates labelled as CSU 0001 through 0007 with an obscured student’s name which the university said was for privacy reasons.

The university, however, said it could not locate a true and correct copy relating to the diploma it issued in 1979 to Tinubu.

The university said, “CSU does not in the ordinary course keep copies of student diplomas, and after diligent search cannot locate a copy of the original diploma it prepared for Mr Tinubu in 1979, hence has no documents responsive to this request.

On Atiku’s request for any of the university’s diploma other than that issued to President Tinubu that “contains the same font, seal, signatures, and wording which purports to be a CSU diploma issued to the president on or about June 22, 1979, the university said after diligent search it located and Bates labelled them CSU 0008 through CSU 0010 and obscured the student’s identity for privacy reasons.

“The students’ names on these diplomas have been redacted for privacy reasons. CSU is also producing Bates labeled as CSU 0011 and CSU 0012 diplomas prepared for other CSU students (with their names redacted for privacy) which match the format of the Tinubu replacement diploma dated June 27, 1997,” the university said.

The university also released documents demanded by Atiku on the correct copies of the documents earlier certified by Jamar Orr in Exhibit D to Uwais Declaration and Bates labelled same CSU 0013 through 0032. But the institution said the communication to CSU between August 1, 2022 and August 1, 2023, was not produced because the objection to them was sustained by the court.