Tinubu’s Academic Records Finally Released to Atiku by Chicago State University

Chicago State University (CSU) has released the long-awaited academic records of President Bola Tinubu, following a request made by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. 

This request came in the wake of their political contest during the 2023 presidential election, where Atiku ran against Tinubu under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). 

The records were sought to support allegations that Tinubu had forged his academic certificates, potentially leading to the overturning of his election victory on grounds of forgery.

Tinubu had initially claimed to have lost the original certificates issued by the university but later revealed that he had requested a replacement for his diploma certificate back in 1997. 

This replacement diploma was subsequently presented to the Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2023 elections, sparking controversy and legal proceedings.

Atiku receives Tinubu’s Key Documents

On Monday, 2nd of October 2023, the Chicago State University provided Atiku’s legal team with three out of the four sets of documents requested. 

These documents included Tinubu’s admission records and a letter confirming his attendance at the university from August 1977 to June 1979. 

Notably, the letter, dated 27th of June 2022, from CSU officially confirmed Tinubu’s studentship and academic achievements at the institution.

The university also addressed Atiku’s third request, which pertained to alleged discrepancies in Tinubu’s certificates.

In response, CSU stated, “The documents responsive to this request which CSU, after diligent search, has been able to locate are produced herewith and Bates labelled CSU 0008 through CSU 0010. The students’ names on these diplomas have been redacted for privacy reasons. CSU is also producing, Bates labelled as CSU 0011 and CSU 0012, diplomas prepared for other CSU students (with their names redacted for privacy) which match the format of the Tinubu replacement diploma dated June 27, 1997.”

Legal Battle for Transparency

Before the release of these documents, Tinubu’s legal team had made efforts to prevent Atiku from accessing his academic records at CSU. 

They had pleaded with United States District Judge Nancy Maldonado to limit the information accessible to Atiku’s legal team, arguing that it constituted an intrusion of Tinubu’s privacy. 

However, Judge Maldonado ruled in favour of Atiku, emphasizing that Atiku’s interest in the credentials outweighed Tinubu’s privacy concerns.

This development marks a crucial milestone in the ongoing legal dispute surrounding Tinubu’s academic records and sets the stage for further examination and deliberation.