The Chicago State University, CSU has released the academic records of President Bola Tinubu in compliance with the order of the District Court of Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.
The court had, on Saturday, ordered the CSU to release the academic records of Tinubu to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, who was Tinubu’s main challenger in the 2023 general elections.
The development came after a U.S Judge, Nancy Maldonado, in a memorandum of opinion and order, adopted all the ruling of Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Gilbert of the U.S. District Court.
President Tinubu had objected to the Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Gilbert ruling ordering the immediate release of the academic records by the CSU.
The president had said releasing the documents with deposition would cause him severe harm because they were private to him and would not be admissible in the ongoing petition against him in Nigeria.
But Atiku had filed another appeal, leading to the judge ordering that the documents be released within 48 hours.
Details of the released documents sought by Atiku showed that CSU complied with his request for a true correct copy of diploma for Bachelor of Science degree issued in 1979 and Bates labelled as CSU 0001 through 0007 with an obscured student’s name which the university said was for privacy reasons.
The university, however, said it could not locate a true and correct copy relating to the diploma it issued in 1979 to Tinubu.
The university said it does not in the ordinary course keep copies of student diplomas, and after diligent search cannot locate a copy of the original diploma it prepared for Tinubu in 1979, hence has no documents responsive to this request.
On Atiku’s request for any of the university’s diploma other than that issued to President Tinubu that “contains the same font, seal, signatures, and wording which purports to be a CSU diploma issued to the president on or about June 22, 1979, the university said after diligent search it located and Bates labelled them CSU 0008 through CSU 0010 and obscured the student’s identity for privacy reasons.
