Tinubu files motion in US court to stop FBI, other US agencies from exposing him
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
President Bola Tinubu has filed an application before a United States District Court of Columbia to stop US government agencies from releasing his records as ordered through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit.
The defendants are US Department of State, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), US Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
All the agencies have agreed to comply with a court order to release his documents in their care.
The FBI announced in September plans to release 25,000 documents on Tinubu at 500 documents every month for 50 months until 2017.
The State Department said it will equally start turning over 450 pages from its archive on Tinubu every six weeks, also beginning this month.
The IRS, DEA, and CIA also pledged to release thousands of pages of records on him in compliance with the law.
The documents are to be released sequel to an FOIA subpoena obtained in court by IT consultant Aaron Greenspan, an American who runs PlainSite, a website on anti-corruption and transparency in public service.
Greenspan filed the FIOA request in 2022 in collaboration with Nigerian investigative journalist David Hundeyin.
The latest court application was brought by Tinubu as an intervenor following an FOI request dated 21 July 2022, per reporting by Daily Post.
All of this is apart from the deposition in the Chicago papers exposing Tinubu’s forgery of CSU certificate and forged documents with which he entered Southwest College Chicago from where he got the transcript to gain admission into CSU.
US courts overruled his opposition to the release of his CSU academic records.
The Chicago papers are now part of documents Atiku Abubakar filed with his appeal at Nigeria’s Supreme Court against Tinubu’s election victory. Hearing in the case begins on October 23.
Tinubu’s motion in the US court for Admission of Attorney Pro Hac Vice, dated October 18, 2023 by Brian A. Carey, sought to admit Christopher Carmichael as an attorney in the case.
Carey said Carmichael is in good standing in the courts and bars of “the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, State of Illinois, the United States Courts of Appeal for the Seventh and Eighth Circuits, and the U.S. District Courts for the Northern Central and Southern Districts of Illinois.”
Carmichael, representing Tinubu, brought his motion in accordance with Civil Local Rule 83.2(c).
Bryan A. Carey, who practices law in D.C., told the court on Carmichael’s behalf that “This motion is supported by the Declaration of Christopher Carmichael. As set forth in Mr. Carmichael’s declaration, he is admitted and an active member in good standing.”
Carmichael and other Tinubu’s lawyers plan to file a thorough argument as soon as possible to argue any reliefs before the October 31 deadline for the release of the documents.
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Atiku urges Supreme Court to admit Tinubu’s Chicago papers to discourage forgery
Supreme Court names Muhammad, Ogunwumiju among 7 Justices to hear appeal against Tinubu’s election
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Atiku bashes Tinubu over latest move
Atiku has bashed Tinubu over his fresh attempt to block the release of details of his criminal investigation by American agencies.
A statement Atiku issued through his Media Aide Phrank Shaibu described the attempt by Tinubu’s lawyers to stall the release of the documents just like the unsuccessfully tried to do with his CSU academic records.
“Christopher Carmichael, one of the lawyers who represented Tinubu in the recent Chicago State University (CSU) records case, filed the motion, dated October 18, 2023, stating that he was a lawyer in good standing to appear in the case in the FOIA lawsuit underway in Washington D.C,” Shaibu said, per Vanguard reporting.
“I think it is time for all Nigerians to express serious concern about this man named Bola A. Tinubu, if at all that is his real name. Some members of the Tinubu family led by Rafiu Tinubu, a former Lagos State Head of Service, claimed they don’t know him.
“Some schools he attended denied him; he has now kept mute over the primary and secondary schools he attended, and he has refused to reveal the identity of his father and even his past.
“He refused to come clean on the details of his settlement with American authorities amid his drug trafficking probe.
“Now, an attempt is being made to reveal the true details of the criminal investigation, but he has gone ahead to try and block it.
“His surrogates, led by Mr Festus Keyamo, had said during the electioneering that the drug investigation launched against him back in 1992 was a tax related matter.
“So, if that is the case, why is he afraid to let the FBI release the documents? This is indeed shameful.”
US last hope of Nigerians to expose Tinubu
Shaibu implored the US authorities to see themselves as the last hope of Nigerians since most Nigerian courts have blocked all attempts to expose Bola A. Tinubu.
“Tinubu is a corn-man. He has been able to deceive Nigerians by keeping his past as a secret. Sadly, every attempt by well-meaning Nigerians to expose him has been blocked by the courts.
“In Lagos State, where he has ruled as Lord of the Manor for decades, the state has refused to honour FOI requests.
“Nigerians are now looking up to US authorities to do the needful so that they can, at least, have the true information on the man who is presiding over their lives.
“We call on American authorities not to be persuaded by this corn-man. Enough is enough! His criminal files must be released.”
Shaibu recounted that back in 2007, Rafiu Tinubu wrote a book Onijumu Wura: The Tinubu Dynasty of Kakawa to expose Tinubu as an impostor.
“Unfortunately, shortly after that book was launched, all the copies were miraculously mopped up. [To] date, no one can find a copy of the book. The holy book says it is only the wicked that runs even when no one pursues them.
“It is time for the mask of this impostor to be unveiled once and for all. Nigerians deserve to know who Bola A. Tinubu truly is.
“We recall that when his purported academic records at the Chicago State University were to be released, President Tinubu said such discovery would cause him irreparable damage.
“Thanks to the CSU discoveries, Nigerians now know that their President is a certificate forger, who not only fabricated the documents he gave to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in the run up to the 2023 presidential election, but that he has been a forger as far back as 1970, when he forged the secondary school certificate of the then non-existent Government College Lagos.
“Bola A. Tinubu is, yet again, playing the stalling games with the decision of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to release documents on his past while he was in the United States.
“Bola A. Tinubu must behave like a statesman and be decent enough to know that each time he comes around to frustrate a discovery about him, he embarrasses a country of over 200 million people.”
