Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Thursday said Nigeria’s reputation is at stake with the controversy surrounding the Chicago State University’s certificate submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission by President Bola Tinubu.
This is as he also urged the relevant stakeholders to uphold the tenets of democracy by establishing the truth about the certificate submitted to the electoral umpire by the President.
“The reputation of our country is at stake and that affects Nigerians everywhere and wherever they may be,” Atiku said.
The PUNCH reports that the university released the academic records of the President on Monday and the CSU Registrar, Carl Westberg, also carried out a deposition of the documents on Tuesday, in compliance with the ruling of Magistrate Jeffrey Gilbert.
Gilbert had on September 19 granted Atiku’s request for the release of Tinubu’s academic records but the President filed a review of the order.
Tinubu’s lawyers insisted that the documents would not be relevant in Atiku’s appeal against Tinubu at the Supreme Court and asked for a review of the ruling.
However, federal judge Nancy Maldonado overruled Tinubu’s objections and ordered the CSU to release the President’s academic records.
In the CSU documents, the institution responded to Atiku’s four requests and affirmed that Tinubu attended the CSU.
Meanwhile, the Presidency on Wednesday insisted that the academic records released by the varsity had vindicated the President and confirmed him as an alumnus of the school.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Public Affairs, Temitope Ajayi, also submitted that the CSU never said the certificate presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission before the presidential election by Tinubu was forged in its deposition.
Having obtained Tinubu’s academic records on the order of an Illinois, Chicago court, Atiku would on Thursday (today) file his application at the Supreme Court.
Atiku, who contested against Tinubu in the February presidential election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, is expected to file the documents he obtained from the CSU in furtherance of his election appeal at the Supreme Court.
Tinubu indebted to me, I never betrayed him, says Atiku
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday, said he never betrayed President Bola Tinubu, during their political alignment in 2007.
He said rather than betray the President, he stood up to his then-principal, President Olusegun Obasanjo, and ensured that Lagos State did not fall to the political tsunami of 2003.
Atiku, who was the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election, stated this during a press briefing in Abuja.
“Those of you who are old enough will also remember that in 2003, the PDP took over all the South-Western states, with the exception of Lagos. I stood between Obasanjo and himself (Tinubu) and I said no, you (Obasanjo) can’t take over Lagos. Leave it and he (Obasanjo) left it. So, who is indebted to whom? Is it me or Bola Ahmed Tinubu?
“There are other things which I will not want to go into,” the former Vice President said.
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