Metro

Atiku files motion for US court to overrule President Tinubu’s objection to release of CSU records

Published

1 year ago

September 29, 2023

The battle for the disputed presidential election in Nigeria has taken a new dimension after the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, filed a fresh motion urging a United States Court to overrule President Bola Tinubu’s request to stop Chicago State University (CSU) from releasing his academic records to him.

Atiku’s fresh motion, which was filed on Thursday, is a counter to an earlier order secured by Tinubu from a US district judge stopping CSU from releasing what the President’s legal team termed as “privileged documents” following Judge Jeffrey Gilbert order that the institution should provide all relevant and non-privileged documents to Atiku’s legal team within two days.

Atiku, who is currently challenging Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 presidential election, is seeking the release of privileged and non-privileged records of Tinubu’s admission and acceptance at the Chicago State University, dates of attendance, as well the degrees, awards, and honours obtained by the president from CSU.

However, as the deadline given by Gilbert drew to a close, Tinubu’s lawyers approached the US High Court to file a motion stopping the release of the documents with the argument that the earlier decision by the magistrate needed to be reviewed by a district judge.

The request for a review and delay of the magistrate’s order was eventually granted by the court.

Tinubu’s application was based on two reasons. The first being that his academic records are not useful in Nigerian courts as claimed by Atiku because, according to his lawyers, “the Nigerian election proceedings and the Nigerian courts have explicitly been unreceptive to the discovery.”

The second ground argued
that Atiku’s request was “unduly intrusive because it allows the applicant to conduct a fishing expedition into the intervenor’s private, confidential, and protected educational records.”

In the fresh response filed by the former vice president in Chicago, Illinois, Atiku, however, urged the court to overrule Tinubu’s request in its entirety.

“If the court overrules the objections, the applicant respectfully requests that it enter an order requiring production of documents no later than October 2, 2023, and the deposition scheduled no later than October 3, to allow time for transcripts to be finalised,” Atiku said in the motion.

“The discovery obtained to be sent to Nigeria (which is six hours ahead) by October 4, so that such evidence may, in turn, be filed with the Supreme Court by October 5, which is when applicant’s Nigerian counsel intend to submit any new evidence to the Supreme Court,” he added.

The former vice president also declared that his goal was to test the authenticity and origin of 12 pages of documents, including two very different diplomas, purported to have been issued by CSU, maintaining that there were discrepancies between the information in the CSU documents and the information in the affidavit Tinubu submitted to INEC.

“If, as the intervenor asserts, he graduated from CSU in 1979 and the CSU documents are authentic copies issued, there is no reason why he should oppose the limited discovery the applicant seeks.”

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Metro

Zambia: Expert warns of food security threat due to climate change

Published

3 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Isaac Dachen

A prominent Zambian climate-smart agriculture expert, Oliver Bulaya, has warned of a collapse of the county’s agricultural sector with a potential threat to food security due to the worsening impact of climate change.

Bulaya, who bared his mind in an interview with Zambia Monitor on Friday, warned that ignoring the crisis could lead to severe disruptions in the country’s food supply and economy.

“Unless concerted efforts are made, the country will continue facing dire consequences from climate change,” the expert noted.

He lamented a growing trend of farmers relocating to regions experiencing above-normal rainfall, such as the northern block, as they struggle with losses caused by climate variability.

Bulaya emphasized that the once-reliable rainfall areas like North-Western Zambia are now experiencing lower precipitation, as seen during the 2023/2024 farming season and cautioned that poor farming practices, which had already strained the Southern region, could lead to similar challenges in other parts of the country if proactive measures were not implemented.

Metro

Outrage over murder of Nigerian beaten to death by South Africans inside estate security office

Published

8 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Nigerian community, under the auspices of Nigerian Citizens Association in South Africa (NICASA), has raised the alarm over the murder of a 37-year-old Nigerian, Julius Chukwunta, who was beaten to death by four South Africans inside an estate.

According to the association, Chukwunta, a native of Aninri Local Government Area in Enugu State, was reportedly attacked on Saturday, December 7, while driving to his residence in Midrand Protea Estate.

In a statement issued on Saturday by the President-General of NICASA, Dr Frank Onyekwelu, Chukwunta was blocked by the four men while approaching his residence.

Onyekwelu stated that information available to the association noted that after attempting to pass through, Chukwunta was met with resistance by the assailants, prompting him to seek help at the security office of the estate.

“At that moment, the four men allegedly attacked him, leaving him severely injured with a head wound,” the PG said.

“His female companion, who was sitting in the car, rushed to the security office and discovered him bleeding on the ground.

“In spite of attempts to call for help, the security office and residents did not assist in calling the police or an ambulance.

“After an hour, Chukwunta’s partner contacted her father, who, along with other family members, took him to Tembisa General Hospital.

“Chukwunta was placed on life support but later succumbed to his injuries and died at the Tembisa General Hospital on December 10, 2024.”

Onyekwelu also confirmed that the case was reported to the police by Chukwunta’s partner at the Midrand Police Station and was registered under file number 262/12/2024.

The NICASA President said the four suspects, aged 20, 24, 27, and 28, were arrested, and the case was presented in Alexandra Magistrate Court on December 13, 2024, where they were charged with murder.

“The court proceedings on December 18, 2024, saw three of the suspects granted bail of R10,000 each, while the fourth had not yet applied for bail. The case was adjourned to February 3, 2025.”

Onyekwelu however, expressed disappointment at the proceedings, wondering why three of the suspects were released on bail and vowed that the Nigerian community would continue to demand justice for Chukwunta and support his family.

He emphasised that the community would not rest until justice was served and the value of Nigerian lives was upheld in South Africa.