Judge Nancy Maldonado of the United States (US) District Court for the Northern District of Illinois has issued a 48-ultimatum to Chicago State University (CSU) to release the academic records of President Bola Tinubu.
Judge Maldonado ruled in favour of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in his suit against CSU and denied the appeal filed by the Intervenor, President Tinubu.
In a memorandum opinion and order issued by Maldonado, the US court overruled Tinubu’s objections to the application filed by Atiku seeking the release of the president’s record with the university.
Judge Maldonado, in a remarkable development, issued the order directing CSU to release the president’s documents.
She gave tomorrow, Monday 2 October as the deadline and also ordered that deposition of the CSU must be completed by 5:00 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, October 3, 2023.
This was as the judge turned down the appeal by the president against the request by Atiku to have access to the academic records.
Furthermore, the court has firmly warned Tinubu and his lawyers against making any additional requests for a stay.
Judge Maldonado cautioned that any request for a stay of this judgment pending appeal against her judgment to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeal will be denied.
Judge Maldonado’s decision signals the importance of transparency and adherence to legal processes in this case.
The order was described as a pivotal moment in the ongoing legal proceedings on the presidential election conducted in Nigeria last February.
The quest by Atiku to lay hands on Tinubu’s academic records with CSU is vital in the on-going presidential election litigation.
The documents were said to have met the basic criteria for accepting late evidence, according to Supreme Court of Nigeria precedents.
Atiku, a former vice president of Nigeria, is in the court, challenging the electoral victory of Tinubu in the February presidential election.
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election had insisted that Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was not qualified to vie for the Office of the President of Nigeria.
Tinubu’s credentials showed that he graduated from CSU in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, accounting and management; but there have been alleged discrepancies in his certificate.
Atiku had approached the court seeking to compel the university to release Tinubu’s records on the grounds that the documents would strengthen his suit challenging the president’s electoral victory.
On September 19, Jeffrey Gilbert, a US magistrate judge, granted the request and ordered CSU to release Tinubu’s academic records within 24 hours
Tinubu, however, filed an appeal against the order. Atiku also asked the US district court to overrule Tinubu’s objection.
However, Chicago State University had said it will release the academic records of the president, if a US court grants the order.
