President Tinubu Files Motion To Stop U.S. Court From Releasing Academic Records To Atiku

President Bola Tinubu has filed a motion seeking to prevent a United States Federal Court from releasing his university academic records to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Naija News reports that Atiku, on August 2, approached the States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois to issue a subpoena for Chicago State University to release Tinubu’s school records, citing longstanding controversies around the Nigerian president’s background.

In his subpoena, Atiku told the court he was seeking the documents as part of discovery to strengthen his legal challenge against the declaration of Tinubu as Nigeria’s president.

Atiku had previously filed a suit before a county court in Chicago, Illinois, but withdrew it in order to file a more comprehensive case at the federal court, which prompted a county judge to dismiss the earlier case from the docket and cleared the path for Abubakar’s federal complaint.

However, according to Peoples Gazette, Tinubu has asked that he should be added as an interested party in the suit, alleging that Chicago State University might be unable to fully protect his interest as the owner of the records being sought.

The Nigerian leader argued in his motion to join the suit filed on August 3 and submitted by his Chicago attorney, Christopher Carmichael.

Consequently, Tinubu argued that the records should not be released because they fell under a 1974 privacy law for American students.

However, a federal judge had been assigned to the case, and both parties anticipated its expedited hearing and disposal, especially after Atiku argued that the Nigerian election petitions tribunal would deliver a verdict around September 21, 2023.