In an unfolding legal battle, President Bola Tinubu has urged a U.S. federal judge to disregard certain records suggesting discrepancies in his academic history at Chicago State University during the 1970s. The President alleges that his Nigerian political rival, Atiku Abubakar, is attempting to use these records to his advantage in the ongoing case.

President Tinubu, represented by attorney Christopher Carmichael, argues that introducing new matters at this stage of the case is improper and should be discouraged. The move comes just ahead of a hearing scheduled for tomorrow before Judge Jeffrey Gilbert of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Speculation has been mounting that a decision is imminent in this matter.

At the heart of the dispute is Mr. Abubakar’s request for subpoenas to obtain records and depositions from Chicago State University regarding President Tinubu’s admission and graduation. The university’s presentation of contradictory documents has only deepened the controversy surrounding the President’s academic history.

Among the discrepancies, there are two different certificates bearing Mr. Tinubu’s name. One indicates he graduated on June 22, 1979, after being admitted in 1977, while the other, issued to a Nigerian lawyer who obtained a subpoena for the records, states June 27, 1979.

Adding to the confusion, records show that a certain Bola Tinubu, admitted to CSU in 1977, presented a Southwest College result belonging to a female. Further scrutiny reveals that Elnora Daniel, the purported signatory of Mr. Tinubu’s 2022 certificate, only joined CSU in 1998, 19 years after Mr. Tinubu’s alleged graduation. She left in 2008, 14 years before supposedly signing the certificate.

These irregularities have compelled Mr. Abubakar to seek full disclosure through subpoenas, intending to use these records to challenge President Tinubu’s election earlier this year, arguing that the alleged falsified records should disqualify him from office.

President Tinubu’s legal team, however, dismisses these discrepancies as conspiracy theories and contends that they should not be grounds for discovery.

In response, Mr. Abubakar’s attorneys, led by Angela Liu, assert that the arguments made by President Tinubu’s legal team should not hinder the scheduled hearing, expressing their readiness to respond at the hearing tomorrow.

Credit: Peoples Gazette