…Even if Atiku Abubakar succeeds in the United States, he will still need to register the verdict with the Nigerian Supreme Court… The decision to admit the evidence presented will be made by the Supreme Court judges. …It’s going to be an interesting legal battle. Falana
A United States Court has ordered the Chicago State University (CSU) to release President Bola Tinubu’s academic records to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar by Tuesday. The presiding judge, Nancy Maldonado, dismissed Tinubu’s objection, issuing a two-day ultimatum to CSU to release the documents to Atiku.
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois has ruled in favour of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, and ordered that the Chicago State University should release President Tinubu’s academic record to the former vice president by Monday, October 2.
Judge Nancy Maldonado, in a copy of the judgment noted that CSU raised no objection to Judge Jeffery Gilbert’s decision that the academic record be made public.
The court explained that any intrusion on Tinubu’s privacy interests in his educational records is outweighed by Atiku’s interest in the sought-after discovery.
Maldonado overruled Tinubu’s objections to Gilbert’s recommended ruling and therefore adopted the ruling in full.
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.
However Femi Falana, a senior Nigerian lawyer and human rights activist, has earlier argued that even if the former vice president won in the American court, he would still need to register the verdict with the Nigerian Supreme Court. because, according to him, the decision to admit the evidence presented by Ahaji Atiku Abubakar will be made by the Supreme Court judges
Falana said in an interview with Arise TV, ”If Atiku Abubakar succeeds in the United States, he will have to register the judgment in Nigeria. And once the judgment is registered. I guess that there will be an application to the Supreme Court. And the task before the appellant will be for his lawyers to convince the Supreme Court to admit the record. While the respondent lawyers will also want to convince the court that it is too late in the day to admit the record. It’s going to be an interesting legal battle”.