US Judge delays release of Tinubu’s Chicago result after appeal Tinubu files motion to stop academic records release
Judge Nancy L. Maldonado of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois has stayed the order on Chicago State University granting the request made by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar to request for the academic records of President Bola Tinubu.
Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert, sitting at the US District Court of Northern Illinois, had ordered the Chicago State University (CSU) to release all relevant records pertaining to the Nigerian president, Tinubu’s admission and time at the university to Atiku within two days.
President Bola Tinubu had appealed against the ruling of Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert, sitting at the United States’ District Court of Northern Illinois which ordered the Chicago State University (CSU) to release all relevant records pertaining to him.
At an emergency hearing of the appeal on Thursday, Judge Maldonado stayed action of the order.
She told the lawyer representing the school, “You may not produce anything today, I’m not gonna rush anything now.”
In the judgement documents, Judge Jeffrey Gilbert also ordered a deposition of designated CSU officials within two days after the records have been released, noting further that the process can be conducted during the weekend if necessary.
Meanwhile, as the school prepared to surrender the papers, Tinubu filed an emergency motion in the district, requesting a higher judge to reconsider Mr Gilbert’s September 19 ruling and postpone the execution until at least September 25, according to People’s Gazette.
On Thursday, Christopher Carmichael, the legal representative of the ex-Lagos State governor, submitted an urgent motion in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. This motion is titled “Emergency motion to delay dispositive ruling number 23CV5099.”
The motion read in part, “Intervenor asks this court to enter an immediate order delaying the effect of the magistrate’s order, at least until Monday, September 25, 2023, so the court may fully consider both the scope of the magistrate’s authority to issue the order without review and the issue of whether the magistrate’s order was a correct application of the law to the facts presented.’’
This development comes in the wake of Magistrate Jeffrey Gilbert’s recent ruling in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Magistrate Gilbert issued an order on Tuesday instructing Tinubu’s alma mater, Chicago State University, to provide all relevant and non-privileged documents to the applicant, Atiku Abubakar, within a two-day timeframe.
These documents primarily include Tinubu’s academic record of admission, acceptance at the university, dates of attendance, and details about degrees, awards, and honours conferred upon him during his time at the institution.
The legal dispute revolves around Atiku’s pursuit of allegations claiming that Tinubu was not qualified to contest the February 2023 presidential election in Nigeria.
In the wake of a judgement by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal that upheld Tinubu’s mandate on September 6, 2023, Atiku, along with his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi, challenged Tinubu’s electoral victory at the Supreme Court.
