It has been reported that Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has refused to release his academic records. Previously, Atiku had sent his lawyers to the United States to legally force Chicago State University (CSU) to release the academic records of President Bola Tinubu. Atiku had accused Tinubu of forging a certificate from an American university, and had questioned the copy of the CSU certificate Tinubu presented to INEC as evidence of his educational qualification to run for president. Atiku persuaded the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois to order CSU to release to his representatives the academic records of Tinubu. On 19 September, Jeffrey Gilbert, a US magistrate judge, granated the request and ordered CSU to release the records within 24 hours.
According to Premium Times, on 3 October 2023, they requested that Atiku provide copies of all his academic certificates, including his Master’s degree certificate, as claimed in his filing to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the 2019 and 2023 presidential elections. However, seven weeks after the letter, Atiku had not responded, so Premium Times sent him a reminder on 13 November. The reminder and the letter were received and acknowledged, and Atiku’s spokesperson, Paul Ibe, promised to ensure a prompt response to the request. Yet, Atiku did not reply to the letter or make the requested information available to the public through other channels.
Premium Times congratulated Atiku on obtaining the academic records of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from the Chicago State University. They then respectfully requested Atiku’s academic records, including his admission records, transcripts, and certificates from all the academic institutions he attended at home and abroad, as well as records of his employment and business. Premium Times suggested that making the records available would demonstrate that Atiku did not demand from his opponent what he was not willing to give. They also believed that this would promote transparency and honesty in the conduct of public affairs in Nigeria.