U.S. district judge delays release of Tinubu's academic records to Atiku

U.S. District Judge Nancy Maldonado has granted a temporary stay on the order directing Chicago State University (CSU) to provide the academic records of President Bola Tinubu to the legal team of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

This decision came after President Tinubu’s legal representatives filed an emergency motion seeking a delay in implementing the order, allowing CSU more time to comply with Atiku’s subpoenas.

The initial order had been issued by Magistrate Jeffrey Gilbert earlier this week, instructing Tinubu’s alma mater to furnish all relevant and non-privileged documents to Atiku’s legal team within a two-day timeframe. The documents requested by Atiku, represented by counsel Angela Liu, include Tinubu’s admission and acceptance records, attendance dates, degrees, awards, and honors received during his time at the university.

However, President Tinubu’s attorneys argued that Magistrate Gilbert’s decision needed review by a district judge. Speaking to The PUNCH from the United States, Babatunde Ogala, the Coordinator of Tinubu’s Presidential Legal Team, clarified that their intention was to seek a review, not to file an appeal. Ogala emphasized that the magistrate lacked the authority to issue a final order for the release of non-privileged information, as he could only make a recommendation.

Ogala stated, “The magistrate is to make a recommendation to the district judge and not to give a final order. No, he cannot. He has no such power.”

He further explained that their request for review was based on the belief that Atiku’s application for the records was allegedly made for litigation purposes in Nigeria, and the additional information provided aims to highlight this fact.

Shortly after Ogala’s statements, the U.S. district judge granted the request for a review and delay of the order until Monday. During the emergency hearing, Judge Maldonado expressed her awareness of legal deadlines in Nigeria and pledged to rule on the matter expeditiously, emphasizing her commitment to proper legal procedure and rules.

Meanwhile, President Tinubu has left New York after attending the 78th session of high-level meetings of the UN General Assembly, where he addressed world leaders on the importance of democracy and condemned military coups. Tinubu was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, and the Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.