The legal teams of President Bola Tinubu and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, are poised to rekindle their legal battle over President Tinubus academic records from Chicago in a United States court tomorrow, Monday.
Recall that a US District Judge, Nancy Maldonado, granted an order on Thursday to stay a directive compelling Chicago State University (CSU) to furnish Atikus legal team with President Tinubus academic documents. This decision came after Tinubus lawyers filed an emergency motion late Thursday night, requesting a delay in implementing the self-executing order instructing CSU to comply with Atikus subpoenas until Monday.
Atiku is currently challenging the outcome of the 2023 presidential election, where President Tinubu was declared the winner and subsequently affirmed by an election petition court in Nigeria.
Earlier, Magistrate Jeffrey Gilbert had ordered Tinubus alma-mater to provide all pertinent and non-privileged documents to Atiku within a two-day time frame. These documents include records of admission and acceptance at the university, dates of attendance, as well as degrees, awards, and honours achieved by the former Lagos State governor during his time at the university.
As the deadline set by Gilbert drew near, on Thursday, Tinubus legal team approached Judge Maldonado, contending that Gilberts previous decision needed to be reviewed by a district judge. The request for a review and a delay of the order until Monday was subsequently granted.
Ahead of the upcoming Monday court proceedings, Atikus Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, in a conversation with newsmen, emphasised the need for transparency, saying that President Tinubu should not be hiding anything.
In response, the Coordinator of Tinubu Presidential Legal Team, Babatunde Ogala, affirmed their readiness for Atikus next move.
As the legal battle continues, questions regarding President Tinubus academic history and the transparency of the electoral process remain at the forefront of Nigerian politics.
