Atiku: Tinubu Has Something to Hide on Chicago State University

•Release your credentials now if…, Frank challenges president

Chuks Okocha and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democracy Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, in his quest to unravel the controversy around the educational qualifications of President Bola Tinubu, has said he was puzzled by Tinubu’s “vigorous opposition” to a request asking the Chicago State University to make open disclosure about the matter.

Also, a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has called on Tinubu to allow the Chicago State University release his academic records to a court in Nigeria if he had nothing to hide.

Atiku’s lawyer, Liu Angela, said she had sent an email to Tinubu’s lawyers asking for their cooperation in asking the Chicago State University about documents that were already in the public domain, which have been submitted in proceeding in the Nigerian court.

The email, which was sent on August 3, 2023 was requesting, “to learn CSU’s position on whether, how, and when they were provided to other Nigerian litigants, and CSU’s position on the authenticity of the documents.”

According to Ms Angela, “ Mr. Tinubu should have been keen to clear up any inconsistencies in his academic achievements and set the records straight by allowing the expedition of the legal process.

“If there is an explanation for the discrepancies we have identified, we would think that Mr Tinubu would be eager to provide it. If you would like to provide an explanation to us, we are happy to consider it. That might preclude the need for, or at least expedite the deposition,” the lawyer said.

Atiku has thus, through his lawyer, expressed a willingness to cooperate with Tinubu’s legal team to shut down controversies surrounding the president’s credentials.

But rather than extend the same cooperation to Atiku’s lawyer, the team representing Tinubu has vehemently opposed all initiatives aimed to setting the records straight about Tinubu education claims at the Chicago State University.

On his part, Frank in a statement yesterday insisted that Tinubu, as a public servant, ought not to seek to stop his academic records from being made public in a law Court.

He also challenged the American government and its institutions to cause Tinubu’s certificates in Chicago State university to be released to a court in Nigeria in the spirit of reciprocity and freedom of information obtainable in that country.

Frank accused the United States of playing double standards where actions and requests that were taken seriously in their country become the reverse when it concerns an African country like Nigeria.