Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has secured a significant victory in his ongoing legal battle to investigate President Bola Tinubu’s academic qualifications in connection with the February 25 presidential election. A United States court has ordered the release of Tinubu’s academic records from Chicago State University (CSU) to support Atiku’s petition challenging the election results. This ruling comes despite objections raised by Tinubu.
Justice Nancy Maldonado dismissed Tinubu’s objections, emphasizing that Tinubu’s objections could not replace the need for evidence, and therefore ordered CSU to submit the academic records to Atiku. The judge granted all four grounds on which Atiku based his case in the US court.
Justice Maldonado issued a 48-hour ultimatum for CSU to comply with the order and release the academic records to Atiku. The judge also stated that Tinubu failed to provide any evidence that would overturn the Magistrate Court’s initial decision, which had granted Atiku’s request before Tinubu’s efforts to block its execution.
In response to Tinubu’s claim that the documents could not be presented to the Nigerian Supreme Court, the US court held that it was not within their jurisdiction to speculate on Nigerian law and procedure. It was noted that there is a mechanism in Nigeria by which Atiku could potentially introduce the requested discovery into the foreign proceedings.
The judge concluded that CSU had sole access to the discovery, making it of significant importance for Atiku’s case. This decision was also based on Rule 26 considerations, stating that the court should not obstruct the flow of discovery in such an important matter. The judge decided that Atiku’s interest in the discovery outweighed Tinubu’s privacy interests, and the final discretionary factor supported granting the application.
In summary, the US court’s decision supports Atiku’s quest for Tinubu’s academic records, and the documents are to be produced on an expedited schedule.