The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is set to hear a new lawsuit filed by Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria, against President Bola Tinubu’s Chicago State University (CSU) certificate.
In this fresh suit, Atiku, a former Vice President of Nigeria, is seeking the court’s intervention to compel Chicago State University to produce documents, information, or objects related to President Tinubu or permit inspection of premises in a civil action.
The lawsuit was reportedly filed shortly after the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in Nigeria dismissed Atiku’s petition challenging Tinubu’s election victory in the February 25 presidential election.
According to reports from Political Economist, court documents indicate that the case was docketed by the Clerk of the court on a recent Friday. The testimony of CSU regarding President Tinubu’s certificate is scheduled to be taken in person on the following Tuesday. However, the court has allowed for the possibility of a telephone appearance if CSU or its representative cannot be physically present.
Atiku Abubakar appears to be pursuing this fresh suit against Chicago State University with the belief that obtaining information and documents related to Tinubu’s certificate will strengthen his chances of overturning the PEPC’s judgment at the Supreme Court. It is expected that Atiku will challenge the tribunal’s verdict at Nigeria’s apex court.
The Notice of Docket Entry issued by the US court states, “The court’s preference, however, is for counsel who will be speaking at the hearing to appear in person.”
The court also emphasized that it is treating the matter with urgency due to the exigent circumstances presented by Atiku Abubakar and to allow room for the possibility of an appeal to the court’s ruling.
In his request to Chicago State University, Atiku Abubakar seeks various documents, including a copy of the 1979 Bachelor of Science degree diploma issued by CSU, a copy of any diploma issued to Mr. Tinubu by CSU in 1979, copies of any CSU diplomas (other than Mr. Tinubu’s) that exhibit similarities in font, seal, signatures, and wording as a CSU diploma allegedly issued to Mr. Tinubu on or about June 22, 1979.
Additionally, Atiku requests true and correct copies of any CSU documents related to Mr. Tinubu that were certified by Jamar C. Orr, Esq, and all communications to or from CSU concerning the certification of such documents by Jamar C. Orr, Esq, between August 1, 2022, and August 1, 2023.
In this fresh suit supported by various documents, Atiku Abubakar also seeks the appearance of representative(s) of Chicago State University to testify at a deposition, the details of which are outlined in supporting documents for the civil action.
This legal development adds another layer to the ongoing political and legal disputes in Nigeria, and it highlights the complexity and international dimensions of these controversies.
