Intrigues, Mixed Expectations As Atiku Gets Tinubu’s School Records

Lawyers representing President Bola Tinubu are of the opinion that the academic records from the Chicago State University would not be admissible in the Supreme Court for the purpose of prosecuting the outcome of the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria.

However, the contrary holds among allies of Atiku Abubakar who GWG.ng reports are optimistic that the details will be a bomb that will obliterate the defences of Tinubu at the Supreme Court.

The views were made known following the order by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois which ordered the Chicago State University (CSU) to release President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s academic record to former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, by Monday, October 2.

In the latest judgment, Judge Nancy Maldonado of the US Court noted that CSU raised no objection to Judge Jeffery Gilbert’s decision that Tinubu’s academic record be made public.

Atiku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is seeking the court papers to further strengthen his case in the petition challenging the declaration of Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the February 25 election in Nigeria.

But reacting to the latest judgment of the US court ordering the release of President Tinubu’s records, one of the lawyers on the President’s legal team, Oluwole Afolabi was quoted to have said the documents would not be useful to Atiku before the Supreme Court in Nigeria.

According to him, the Electoral Act does not allow for the introduction of new evidence on appeal.

“A party must provide a list of the documents he intends to rely on at the time his petition is filed. A party cannot spring a surprise on his adversary by introducing evidence that was not filed along with the petition,” Afolabi said in a Whatsapp note published by PM News.

Similarly, the Coordinator of the Tinubu Presidential Legal Team, Babatunde Ogala (SAN), said the records are valueless at this point in time.

According to him, “The documents can no longer be used. It is of no value. We have passed that stage.”

“One is whether President Tinubu attended Chicago State University. The answer is yes. Second, what were his grades in school? The school had already provided that.”

However, Atiku’s associates are hopeful that they have up to September 5 to file the details before the Supreme Court.

Asked on why the team has gone through the path of the US courts, an Atiku associate said:
“What we will produce will be legal documents from the CSU that will officially present the fact that the man we have as president is not who he is,” the Atiku associate said.

Recall that President Tinubu had through his lawyers pleaded with the appeal court not to release the records as it would deal irreparable damage to him.

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