In a recent legal development, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has pointed fingers at the clerk of Chicago State University (CSU) for inaccuracies found in his academic documents and certificate. The revelation surfaced as a response to legal proceedings initiated by former Vice President of Nigeria and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.
Atiku Abubakar, through an application submitted to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, has called for the release of President Bola Tinubu’s academic records held by Chicago State University (CSU). The court had set a deadline of August 23 for President Tinubu to provide a formal response explaining why his records should not be disclosed to Atiku Abubakar.
The crux of the matter lies in the controversies surrounding the authenticity of President Tinubu’s academic documents. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received documents from Tinubu, which have faced questions about their legitimacy. Furthermore, a document dating back to the 1970s surfaced, indicating that a female student named Bola Tinubu, born on March 29, 1954, had been admitted to CSU.
In an effort to comply with the court’s directives, President Tinubu’s legal representatives stated that an unidentified university clerk had made unfortunate errors in recording the graduation dates and issuance of the certificate. The discrepancies included an incorrect graduation date of June 27, 1979, instead of the correct date, June 22, 1979. These discrepancies were compounded by changes in the CSU logo, font on the diploma, and shifts in university leadership over the years.
The case is currently under the purview of Judge Jeffery Gilbert of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago. President Tinubu’s legal team, led by Oluwole Afolabi and Christopher Carmichael, released a statement outlining their stance on the matter. The statement highlighted the errors made by CSU in response to an “illegal and invalid subpoena,” which inadvertently led to the appearance of differences between the earlier issued diploma and the one produced in response to the 2022 subpoena.
Atiku Abubakar’s pursuit of President Tinubu’s academic records underscores the ongoing disputes over the credibility of the President’s submitted documents. As the legal battle unfolds, the focus remains on shedding light on the discrepancies and controversies surrounding the academic history of Nigeria’s head of state.
