The Chicago State University has confirmed that Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu obtained his degree from the institution and graduated in 1979 after meeting all conditions for the award of an academic degree.
The university’s confirmation, which reduced already minimal chances of the Presidential Petition Election Tribunal (PEPT) overturning Tinubu’s February victory, came in response to a court subpoena request filed by Atiku Abubakar.
Mr Atiku, the former vice president described by his principal Obasanjo as the most corrupt Nigerian alive, finished second in the presidential election and is in court with his former running mate, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, to challenge the victory of President Tinubu based on a sundry list of sensational claims including the authenticity of his academic credentials.
Atiku opened a case in the United States of America with hopes of legally compelling the Chicago State University to affirm Tinubu’s studentship, having argued in Nigeria that the president presented a fake certificate. In response to his subpoena, the university not only affirmed Tinubu’s student and graduation records but also raised objections to the relevance and appropriateness of the request.
“The University struggles to understand how – given that Tinubu did in fact graduate from the university in 1979 – Tinubu’s grades and other student records from the 1970s and date and signatory information on subsequently issued ceremonial diplomas could possibly have any bearing on a 2023 election challenge in a foreign country,” it said in its bombshell response which some analyst say has placed the final coffin in Atiku and Obi’s legal challenge.