In a recent development, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has attributed the glaring irregularities present on a reprinted certificate from Chicago State University (CSU) to a university clerk. The revelations come amidst an ongoing legal battle with political opponent Atiku Abubakar, as disclosed in court filings obtained by Peoples Gazette.
According to documents filed on August 23 by Mr. Tinubu’s legal counsel, the unnamed clerk’s errors pertained to critical details on the certificate, including graduation dates, signature, and logo, creating a questionable disparity. The President’s statement was submitted before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago as part of his defense against the request to release his academic records to Mr. Abubakar.
The court had granted Mr. Abubakar permission to subpoena Mr. Tinubu’s records from CSU, citing the need to address inconsistencies in Mr. Tinubu’s background. Publicly available information suggested that a student named Bola Tinubu, born on March 29, 1954, was admitted to CSU in the 1970s. However, President Tinubu has maintained that he was born on March 29, 1952, even though he had previously listed 1954 as his birth year on occasion.
The discrepancies extend to President Tinubu’s educational history, as he recently removed his primary and secondary education details from records due to the discovery that the listed schools did not exist in Nigeria. Mr. Abubakar believed that CSU records could shed light on the documents Mr. Tinubu submitted during his admission to study accounting.
Mr. Abubakar, invoking a U.S. statute allowing documents for foreign courts, argued that Mr. Tinubu’s contradictory claims warranted access to his school records. However, Mr. Tinubu’s legal team contended that the subpoena was illegal and unfounded, emphasizing that an unintended error by an unnamed CSU clerk resulted in incorrect information on the certificate.
The President’s lawyers revealed, “CSU issued a new diploma for Bola A. Tinubu, but incorrectly wrote the date of graduation as June 27, 1979.” They further explained that changes in authorized signatures, logos, fonts, and leadership at CSU led to the appearance of discrepancies between the newly issued diploma and an earlier one.
Mr. Tinubu’s defense countered Mr. Abubakar’s arguments by highlighting that the Nigerian court overseeing the election petitions had already concluded its hearings, with a judgment expected soon. The presidential election took place on February 25, and Mr. Tinubu assumed office on May 29. Consequently, Mr. Tinubu questioned the relevance of the requested records to the ongoing proceedings.
The CSU administration aligned itself with Mr. Tinubu’s stance, indicating that any decision to comply with the subpoena would be determined by the former student himself. Meanwhile, Mr. Abubakar’s legal team, led by Angela Marie Liu, is set to respond to Mr. Tinubu’s position regarding the admissibility of the requested documents.
As the legal battle continues, the court’s decision remains awaited, shaping the future trajectory of this high-stakes political dispute.
