President Bola Tinubu has submitted a legal request aiming to block a federal court in the United States from releasing his academic records from university to Atiku Abubakar, his rival in Nigeria’s presidential election of February 2023.
According to the Peoples Gazette, Mr. Abubakar approached the States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on August 2nd, seeking a subpoena for Chicago State University to disclose Mr. Tinubu’s educational records.
He referenced longstanding controversies surrounding the background of Nigeria’s president. Journalist David Hundeyin uncovered records suggesting that a Bola Tinubu who attended Chicago State University in the 1970s was female.
Records from the CSU registrar’s office confirm that a Bola Tinubu graduated on June 22, 1979, without specifying the gender of the student. The connection between this individual and the current Nigerian presidency remains unclear.
Mr. Abubakar informed the court that he requires these documents as part of the discovery process to bolster his legal challenge against the declaration of Mr. Tinubu as Nigeria’s president on March 1, 2023, following a contentious election on February 23.
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In response, Mr. Tinubu swiftly assembled a legal team and requested to be included as an interested party in the lawsuit. He asserted that Chicago State University might not adequately safeguard his interests as the subject of the sought-after records. His motion to join the suit was filed on August 3 and presented by his Chicago-based attorney, Christopher Carmichael.
The motion argued, “Mr. Tinubu should be allowed to join or intervene because he has a direct personal interest in the records sought, his interests are not fully represented or protected by Respondent Chicago State University, and his interests will be affected if he is not permitted to join or intervene.”
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Chicago State University stated that its responsibility was fulfilled by notifying the relevant parties about the application and the attempt to access the records. The university’s stance is that it is not obligated to oppose the application and, as a result, does not adequately represent Mr. Tinubu’s interests, according to the filing.
Therefore, Mr. Tinubu contended that the records should remain confidential under the 1974 American student privacy law. His legal team argued that Mr. Abubakar’s lawsuit indirectly targets Mr. Tinubu by seeking access to records that federal and state governments have deemed confidential under the Federal Educational Records and Privacy Act of 1974.
A federal judge has been assigned to oversee the case, and both parties anticipate an expedited hearing and resolution. Mr. Abubakar argued that a verdict from the Nigerian election petitions tribunal is expected by September 21, 2023.
Previously, Mr. Abubakar had filed a lawsuit in a county court in Chicago, Illinois. However, he withdrew it in favor of filing a more comprehensive case in federal court, leading to the dismissal of the earlier case from the docket. This paved the way for Mr. Abubakar’s federal complaint. While some Nigerian media outlets incorrectly reported that the substantive case had been dismissed, Mr.
Abubakar’s filing indicated that he voluntarily withdrew the case to avoid any perception of abusing the court process.
Mr. Abubakar, a prominent figure from the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), welcomed Mr. Tinubu’s motion to join the lawsuit. His legal team stated that their client does not oppose Mr. Tinubu’s intention to join the suit, as they had previously encouraged him to do so.