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Tension As Chicago Varsity Set to Release Tinubu’s Academic Records

Published

3 years ago

October 2, 2023

Eric

There is palpable tension across the land as the United States District Court in Northern District of Illinois ruled in favour of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, and ordered the Chicago State University to release President Bola Tinubu’s academic record by Monday (today).

But Tinubu’s lawyers insisted that the documents would not be relevant in Atiku’s appeal against Tinubu at the Supreme Court.

Atiku had earlier secured an order from a US magistrate for CSU to make Tinubu’s academic records available to his legal team.

The magistrate, Jeffrey Gilbert, had ordered Tinubu’s alma mater to provide all relevant and non-privileged documents to Atiku’s legal team within two days.

The documents sought by the PDP candidate, through his counsel, Angela Liu, include Tinubu’s record of admission and acceptance at the Chicago State University, dates of attendance as well the degrees, awards, and honours obtained by Tinubu from the CSU.

But as the deadline given by the magistrate drew nearer, Tinubu’s lawyers approached the US high court, arguing that the earlier decision by the magistrate needed to be reviewed by a district judge.

The request for a review and delay of the magistrate’s order till Monday was eventually granted by the US district judge.

Tinubu’s application, filed by his New York-based lawyer, Oluwole Afolabi, advanced two reasons.

First is that his academic records in issue are not useful in Nigerian courts as claimed by Atiku because “the Nigerian election proceedings and the Nigerian courts have explicitly been unreceptive to the discovery.”

His second reason is that Atiku’s request “is unduly intrusive because it allows the applicant (Atiku) to conduct a fishing expedition into the intervenor’s private, confidential, and protected educational records.”

The former vice president in a fresh response filed last Wednesday, in Chicago, Illinois, charged the court to overrule Tinubu’s request in its entirety.

In a fresh judgment on Sunday, Maldonado noted that CSU did not object to Judge Jeffery Gilbert’s decision that the academic record be made public.

The court held that Atiku’s interest outweighs any intrusion on Tinubu’s privacy interests in his educational records.

The judge overruled Tinubu’s objections to the ruling by the magistrate ordering CSU to make his academic records available to Atiku.

Judge Gilbert also adopted the magistrate’s ruling in full.

The memorandum opinion and order read in part: “For the foregoing reasons, the court overrules President Tinubu’s objections to Magistrate Judge Gilbert’s recommended ruling, and therefore, adopts the ruling in full.

“Mr Atiku’s Application is, therefore, granted. In light of the pending Supreme Court of Nigeria deadline, represented to the court as October 5, 2023, and based on CSU’s representations that it is ready to comply with the discovery requests and produce a witness, the court sets an expedited schedule for completion of discovery.

“Respondent CSU is directed to produce all relevant and non-privileged documents in response to Requests for Production Nos. The Rule 30(b)(6) deposition of CSU’s corporate designee must be completed by 5:00 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, October 3, 2023. Given the October 5, 2023, filing deadline before the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the court will not extend or modify these deadlines.

However, the judge stressed that his verdict “is expressing no view on the merits of Mr. Abubakar’s underlying claims regarding President Tinubu or his graduation from CSU, or on the validity of the Nigerian election. Nor is the court taking any position on what any of the documents or testimony from CSU may or may not ultimately show.”

“The court simply finds, on the narrow question before it, that Mr Atiku is entitled to the production of documents and testimony that he seeks from CSU,” he said.

Reacting to the verdict, a member of the PDP National Executive Council, National Deputy Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, described President Tinubu’s appeal as a needless route.

Osadolor, in an interview with The PUNCH, said “If he was convinced that has had nothing to hide, there was no need for those appeals against the courts.”

According to him, the US judgment will reinforce Atiku’s appeal before the Supreme Court.

“Tinubu is not who he claims to be and that is what our candidate and our party want to prove.”

Efforts made to reach the spokesman for the All Progressives Congress, Felix Morka, were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, one of the President’s attorneys, Oluwole Afolabi, has played down the importance of his academic documents, saying it will be of no use in Atiku’s Supreme Court appeal in Nigeria.

Reacting in a WhatsApp note published on Sunday by PM News, Afolabi stated that 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.

The Punch

Featured

Sowore ‘Slumps’ Amid Police Teargas During Abuja Protest

Published

21 hours ago

June 12, 2026

Eric

There was panic on Friday after human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, collapsed following a confrontation with the police during a Democracy Day protest at the Unity Fountain in Abuja.

Reports said that Sowore collapsed after police operatives moved to disperse protesters gathered to demonstrate against insecurity, economic hardship and bad governance.

The demonstrators were dispersed after security personnel fired teargas canisters at the protesters in an apparent attempt to break up the gathering.

Following the incident, Sowore has reportedly been taken to an undisclosed hospital for further examination and treatment.

Featured

Global Stage, Local Heart: Davido Champions Justice for Kidnapped Oyo Schoolchildren at FIFA Concert

Published

1 day ago

June 12, 2026

Eric

By Shakirat Akintola

He may be selling out arenas worldwide and headlining some of the biggest global stages, but Afrobeats megastar Davido proved this week that his heart remains firmly with the people of Nigeria.

On Wednesday night, during his highly anticipated performance at the official FIFA World Cup Countdown Concert in Los Angeles, the “Unavailable” crooner turned a massive moment of global celebration into a powerful, intentional act of advocacy.

Walking onto the Crypto.com Arena stage, the international icon chose not to wear high-end luxury fashion, but rather a custom black leather jacket designed to honor the 39 schoolchildren and seven teachers violently abducted from the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
A Global Icon Who Refuses to Forget His Roots

For an artist operating at Davido’s level, navigating massive global brands like FIFA usually comes with strict, highly sanitized corporate boundaries. Yet, the singer intentionally used his massive platform to ensure that the tragedy unfolding back home would not be swept under the rug by international media.

Backstage and throughout his high-energy performance of hits like “Fall,” the singer made sure his wardrobe spoke volumes. The front of his jacket was adorned with green circular buttons, each bearing the individual name of a student or teacher taken from the Ahoro-Esinele community in May.

In a heartbreaking and meticulously planned detail, the names of those still held in captivity were written in white, while the names of the victims who have tragically already died during the ordeal were highlighted in stark red. Across the back of the jacket, the message was clear and unmissable to the millions watching worldwide: “BRING THEM HOME.”

“We Represent Everywhere We Go”
Speaking moments before he climbed the stage alongside international electronic group Major Lazer, Davido was visibly carrying the weight of the situation, showing that his global success hasn’t detached him from the realities facing everyday Nigerians.

“Peace and love everywhere. May God be with the families of the abducted and the ones who have been killed,” Davido said in an emotional backstage address. “They still haven’t been rescued, we’re praying to God every day. We’re also praying to God that the government hastens… My country is going through a lot. We represent everywhere we go.”

This isn’t a passive, one-off gesture for the singer. Despite a grueling international schedule ahead of the 2026 World Cup—where he is prominently featured on the tournament’s official soundtrack album—Davido has consistently used his massive social media presence to demand immediate, decisive action from both federal and state authorities.

Amplifying the Cry for Help

By bringing the Oriire local tragedy to one of the premier entertainment capitals of the world, Davido has forcefully inserted Nigeria’s security challenges into the global conversation.

Back home, the crisis remains critical. The ongoing hostage situation has already sparked a total shutdown of public schools in Oyo State, with the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) declaring an indefinite strike until their colleagues and students are safely returned.

In a landscape where international superstars are often criticized for becoming disconnected from local struggles, Davido’s bold FIFA showcase serves as a stark reminder of what true cultural ambassadorship looks like. He didn’t just perform for the world; he made the world look at the faces and names of the people who need them most.

Featured

Statement on the State of the Nation by Some Concerned Nigerians

Published

4 days ago

June 9, 2026

Eric

We are a group of concerned Nigerians, alarmed at increasing threats to the Nigerian Nation and desirous of sharing our concerns with fellow citizens.

Our assessment of the state of the Nation reveals that Nigeria stands at a dangerous crossroads where rising insecurity, an alarming level of electoral manipulation by government, and the weakening of democratic institutions are converging into a national crisis that threatens the country’s survival.

Nigeria faces a grave threat to its foundational constitutional principle of the separation of powers. Checks and balances between the branches of government have been imperilled.

The legislative branch has been placed under near total control of the executive branch. The judiciary appears to have lost both its independence and its integrity. There are no checks on the powers of the executive who now govern as they please without accountability or respect for the people’s concerns.

Institutions have been compromised, weakened, and subordinated to the interests of the executive arm of government. This erosion of institutional independence has fuelled public distrust to its highest level in our history creating a crisis of political exclusion and impunity that is pushing violent extremism, organized crime, and communal conflict to a tipping point.

To reverse this trajectory, Nigeria must urgently recommit to democratic accountability, judicial independence, and institutional reforms that strengthen the rule of law. The electoral processes must be transparent, credible, and insulated from executive interference.

The crisis in Nigeria cannot be separated from the broader instability engulfing the Sahel region. The spread of terrorism, arms trafficking, unconstitutional changes of government, and porous borders across countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger continue to intensify insecurity in Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad Basin. The collapse of regional cooperation and democratic governance in parts of the Sahel further emboldens armed groups, weakens state authority, and undermines civilian protection across West Africa.

Regional security cooperation between Nigeria and Sahelian states should be revitalized by establishing strong bilateral and multilateral platforms for intelligence sharing, border governance, and community-based peacebuilding initiatives.

Equally important is investing in youth employment, education, social protection, and local conflict resolution mechanisms to address the root causes of radicalization and insecurity.

Recommendations

1. Government should as a matter of urgency recognise that insecurity in the Sahel fuels the Nigerian crisis and that rapprochement between AES (Alliance of Sahel States) and ECOWAS is an important element in Nigeria’s national interest.

2. Government should immediately appoint a high-level Special Envoy for the Sahel to begin the urgent task of rebuilding trust between Nigeria, the AES and ECOWAS while revamping regional mechanisms for peace and security.

3. Civil society organisations should actively sensitize citizens and strengthen public demand for accountability. Nigerians must be bold and courageous in protecting civic rights and resisting the current climate of restricting civic space.

4. We call on the Private Sector as critical stakeholders in the nation-state agenda to continue to support and demand accountability in governance and the promotion of the rule of law as the basic premise of economic progress and nation building. Professional bodies and associations must rise to the challenge of building a broad national consensus to oppose tyranny and ensure maintenance of checks and balances in governance and the protection of the rule of law.

5. We call on our traditional leaders and members of the clergy to rise to the full weight of their moral and civic authority to promote peaceful co-existence, solidarity, and inter-faith dialogue to arrest the current slide to criminality and civil disorder.

6. Given the clear and consistent indications of the lack of neutrality and competence of INEC, professional bodies such as the Nigerian Bar Association, Unions, and other civic groups must set up mechanism of engaging the electoral body to ensure that the 2027 elections are free, fair and credible.

7. The Judiciary must address the perception of its complicity to stall democratic processes. It must remain independent and uphold the rule of law. As a matter of urgency, the Nigerian Bar Association must call its members to order for professional conduct and strengthen its monitoring on the judiciary, it must stay alert and patriotic and ensure political actors play by the rule. The National Judicial Council must set up a framework for holding judges accountable for decisions they take in the context of electoral process.

DATED AT ABUJA, NIGERIA 8th JUNE 2026

1. Dr. Husseini Abdu
2. Amb. Fatima Balla OON
3. Dr. Usman Bugaje
4. Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, CON
5. Dr. Yahaya Hashim
6. Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim
7. Prof. Attahiru Muhammadu Jega OFR
8. Prof. Mohammed Kuna
9. Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud, SAN, OON
10. Mal Kabiru Yusuf