By Nichola Ojo
Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu on Thursday filed an application seeking to block the release of his academic records to his political opponent in the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar.
The application was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on Thursday, September 21, just hours before the court had ordered Chicago State University to release the records to Abubakar.
Judge Jeffrey Gilbert of the United States District Court had on September 19 ordered Chicago State University to release Mr Tinubu’s records to his Nigerian political opponent as part of an ongoing election challenge proceeding in Nigeria.
The judge said the records must be turned over to Mr Abubakar on September 21. He also said school administrators must submit themselves to certify all released records under oath.
But as the school started preparing to release the files, Mr Tinubu entered an emergency application in the district asking a senior judge to review Mr Gilbert’s September 19 order and delay execution until at least September 25.
“Due to the timing for compliance by Chicago State University – later today – Intervenor is filing this motion separately from its challenge to the Magistrate’s ruling on the application,” Mr Tinubu’s lawyers, led by Christopher Carmichael, said. “Intervenor intends to file, by the end of the day, a substantive brief addressing the errors in the Magistrate’s decision.”
