President Bola Tinubu’s lawyer, Wole Afolabi, has said that former vice president Atiku Abubakar is chasing shadows with the judgement on Chicago State University certificate saga.
In an interview on Television Continental (TVC), Afolabi said: “The wrong information was planted out there that President Tinubu did not attend Chicago State University and someone sold that to Atiku and on that premise, he approached, through his lawyers, the High Court in Chicago asking that its record be released to him that he had it on good authority that he (Tinubu) did not attend university.
“The Chicago State University (CSU) through its Registrar, deposed to an affidavit wherein it was stated that not only did the President attend CSU, but he in fact graduated with honours in very rigorous majors, accounting, he was one of their best students. No wonder, he was hired directly out of college.
“So, confronted with this information and being reluctant to beat a retreat they pivoted and went in the direction that the certificates that he (Tinubu) presented to INEC was forged.
“Now, the university came out and said that this is their characteristics. (For diplomas) what is important to them and to many universities is in America is transcripts.
“It is in the transcript that you see the grades, the courses that he took and everything related to the students, all you need to know about the students basically. But the diploma is merely ceremonial.
“So, the university said the practice is that once you give it out (Diplomas) they don’t retain copies, so haven’t given out the version that the president submitted to INEC they did not have it in their possession.
“Now, at some point the president requested for a replacement diploma as some students do. It was prepared but the president did not go back to pick it up it was asked of the registrar why he did not pick it up or ask that it be sent to him and he correctly answered that ‘Why don’t you ask him?, I’m not in a position to answer to that.’”
Afolabi said Atiku’s camp failed to realise that in America, it is not just one diploma that is issued for all purposes. “You can have as many diplomas as you want if you want to apply for it or you have to do is to pay for it.
“Like in the president’s case, there were other students who applied for the diplomas and didn’t pick them up. And this is school made available to Waziri Abubakar’s lawyers for comparison. Social media is awash with all of these documents.
“If you take a look at what was issued to the President and some of the samples that the university filed you’ll see similarities they are very similar. Honestly to me with all sense of responsibility to me honestly this is not it just doesn’t make any sense.”
Afolabi also explained the use in court of the phrase “irreparable harm” in defence of Tinubu’s opposition to the release of his academic records. He said there was nothing sinister or unusual about it, rather, it is a legalese.
