US court allows CSU to provide Atiku access to Tinubu’s academic records

The Peoples Democratic Party’s Atiku Abubakar has won the case before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and the court has mandated that Chicago State University provide the former vice president with access to President Tinubu’s academic record by Monday, October 2.

In a copy of the ruling that PUNCH received on Sunday, Judge Nancy Maldonado observed that CSU had not objected to Judge Jeffery Gilbert’s ruling that the academic record should be made public.

The court stated that Atiku’s interest in the desired discovery outweighs any intrusion on Tinubu’s personal interests in his educational records.

Tinubu’s objections to Gilbert’s suggested decision were rejected by Maldonado, who then embraced the recommendation in its entirety.

The memorandum opinion and order read in part, “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.

“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.”