In response to requests by Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Chicago State University (CSU) has released the academic records of President Bola Tinubu. The release comes after the US district court for the northern district of Illinois ordered CSU to disclose Tinubu’s academic records.
Abubakar’s third request specifically sought a copy of the diplomas issued in 1997. In its response, the university confirmed that the certificates matched the format of Tinubu’s replacement dated June 27, 1997. The university provided the documents with student names redacted for privacy reasons and also shared additional diplomas from 1997 to demonstrate the consistency in format.
Tinubu, who had previously stated the loss of his original certificates, submitted a replacement for his CSU diploma to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2023 presidential election. The newly released documents from CSU reveal that Tinubu was addressed as “Mr” in what appears to be an admission letter, and he identified as “male” in the undergraduate admissions application form. However, there is a discrepancy in some transcripts circulating on the internet, which suggest “female.”
Notably, the samples of diplomas issued in 1997 by CSU share the same font and logo as those submitted to INEC by Tinubu. However, there is a notable inconsistency in the date. CSU acknowledged this discrepancy in its affidavit, attributing it to a clerical error.
Despite President Tinubu’s appeal against the release of his academic records, a federal judge, Nancy Maldonado, overruled his objections, affirming the earlier order by US magistrate judge Jeffrey Gilbert. The university clarified that it could not find a copy of the original diploma issued to Tinubu in 1979.
This development adds to the controversy surrounding President Tinubu’s academic credentials, raising questions about the consistency and accuracy of the provided documents.
