An imminent tension may seem in the offing as the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, has ordered the Chicago State University (CSU) to release President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s documents to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
The Northern District Illinois Court also ruled on Tuesday that it has jurisdiction in the case instituted by the PDP Presidential candidate.
The court stated Alhaji Abubakar has satisfied all statutory requirements as he is an interested person and the respondent, CSU, is a public university established and existing under the laws of Illinois, with its principal campus and offices in Chicago.
The court, therefore, affirmed that the institution can grant Atiku all necessary documents.
It could be recalled that Atiku Abubakar had approached the court and asked the court to compel Chicago State University to produce critical documents relating to President Tinubu.
However, in a publication made on August 7, 2023, News Band reported that Tinubu filed a motion at the court seeking to stop the university from releasing his records to Atiku Abubakar.
According to the report, Abubakar, on August 2, approached the 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.
The University’s registrar’s office had told the paper that it graduated a Bola Tinubu on June 22, 1979, but did not elaborate when pressed on whether the student was a male or female, much less if it is the same person now occupying Nigeria’s presidency.
Abubakar 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 on March 1, 2023, following the hotly-contested February 23 election.
However, Tinubu quickly gathered his team of attorneys and asked to 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.
“Mr Tinubu should be allowed to join or intervene because he has a direct personal interest in records sought, his interests are not fully represented or protected by Respondent Chicago State University, and his interests will be affected if he is not permitted to join or intervene,” the Nigerian leader argued in his motion to join the suit filed on August 3 and submitted by his Chicago attorney Christopher Carmichael.
“Chicago State University stated that its obligation is satisfied by providing notice of the application and attempt to access the records.
“Chicago State’s position is that it does not have an obligation to oppose the application and, therefore, CSU does not adequately represent Mr Tinubu’s interests,” the filing said.
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