The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed efforts by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to obtain the academic records of President Bola Tinubu from the Chicago State University in the United States, describing it as a futile endeavor. The APC expressed confidence, stating that President Tinubu had consistently maintained that he had nothing to hide.
This development follows a ruling by Judge Jeffrey Gilbert of the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, ordering Tinubu’s alma mater to provide Atiku with relevant, non-privileged documents related to Tinubu’s academic history within two days. Atiku’s request sought details such as admission and acceptance records, attendance dates, degrees, awards, and honors earned by Tinubu during his time at the university.
In response, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Duro Meseko, conveyed the party’s lack of concern about the court order. He emphasized that President Tinubu had nothing to hide and suggested that the pursuit of his academic records was an exercise in futility.
Furthermore, the Presidency dismissed the significance of Tinubu’s academic records in Atiku’s case, asserting that Atiku and the PDP were merely chasing shadows. A presidential aide indicated that Atiku, as the first-runner up in the presidential election, could not introduce new evidence in court beyond what he had presented before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, which ruled in favor of Tinubu on September 6.
Atiku had sought the US court’s order to compel the Chicago State University to release Tinubu’s academic records, alleging that they were forged. Tinubu’s credentials indicate that he graduated from the university in 1979 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting, and Management. However, allegations of discrepancies regarding his certificate have arisen.
Despite these allegations, the university confirmed that Tinubu had attended the institution, and an official transcript request could be made through the studentclearinghouse.org website. Furthermore, an ex-classmate of Tinubu, Durojaiye Ogunsanya, publicly stated that he and the President graduated from the same department at the Chicago State University in 1979.
Atiku’s pursuit of Tinubu’s academic records has generated significant attention and prompted discussions about the President’s educational background. While the US court has ordered the release of relevant documents, the ultimate impact of this development on Atiku’s appeals at the Supreme Court remains to be seen.