A US Federal Judge has postponed his decision on whether to grant a subpoena for the academic records of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who is facing a lawsuit over his eligibility to run for office.
The judge said he was puzzled by the fact that Tinubu’s college transcript, which he used to enroll at Chicago State University (CSU) in 1977, indicated that it belonged to a female student.
The lawsuit was filed by former Nigerian Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who challenged Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election. Abubakar alleged that Tinubu falsified his educational qualifications and did not meet the constitutional requirement of having at least a secondary school certificate.
Abubakar’s lawyer, Alexandre de Gramont, sought a subpoena from the US District Court for the Northern District to compel CSU to produce Tinubu’s records, including his admission application, transcript, diploma and graduation ceremony program.
However, Tinubu’s lawyer, Christopher Carmichael, opposed the subpoena, arguing that it was based on a conspiracy theory propagated by Tinubu’s political enemies in Nigeria. He likened it to the “birther” movement that questioned former US President Barack Obama’s citizenship.
The judge, Jeffrey Gilbert, said he was confused by the conflicting records and statements from both parties. He said he needed more time to review the documents and possibly request additional information from CSU or other sources.
“I will have to take this matter under advisement,” the judge said. He added that his court would notify the lawyers of a new date for his ruling or hearing.
