Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, has praised the recent decision by a US court that compels Chicago State University to release all of Bola Tinubu’s academic records, stating that the truth about the president is coming to light finally.
In a statement released by Atiku’s Special Assistant on Public Communications, Phrank Shaibu, he emphasized that the alleged certificate controversy surrounding Bola Tinubu, which has remained hidden for over two decades would finally be exposed.
This development came after Justice Nancy Maldonado, a US Federal Judge, issued an order requiring Chicago State University to provide Atiku with access to Tinubu’s academic records.
Despite Tinubu’s efforts to prevent the release of these documents, the court sided with Atiku, asserting that revealing the president’s true academic background was in the interest of the Nigerian people.
Atiku hailed this decision, attributing it to the independence of the US judiciary system.
He pointed out that Tinubu has evaded addressing these allegations since 1999 when human rights lawyer Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) initially raised concerns about his academic credentials.
Atiku also highlighted the contrast between this US decision and the Nigerian judiciary’s approach, which often focused on technicalities rather than the merit of the case.
Atiku expressed concern that the Nigerian society is approaching a state of turmoil, referencing the philosopher Thomas Hobbes’ description of such a state as “short, brutish, and nasty.”
In response to remarks made by Tinubu’s lawyer and former National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress, Babatunde Ogala, Atiku stated, “Ordinarily, we would not have responded to the words of a legal Lilliputian who has never won any landmark case in court and whose growth in the legal field is tied to the apron strings of a Chicago Bagman.”
“It is unfortunate that Ogala glorifies technicality instead of justice. Ogala claimed that the victory was meaningless.
“So, why did his principal try to block the release of his credentials if he had nothing to hide? Why did he also appeal the initial judgment?
“The Bible says only the wicked run when no one chases them. Why has Tinubu been blocking the release of his academic records for nearly 30 years?”