Chicago State University has locked its X (formally Twitter) account from the general public as Nigerians criticise its handling of the controversy surrounding the certificate President Bola Tinubu obtained from the institution.
With a padlock icon appearing on the account, a check on the account at 9:50 am on Tuesday showed that only “confirmed followers” of the institution could see its tweets now, contrary to how it was before.
A notification telling the general public that the institution had locked its X handle from the general public reads: “These posts are protected. Only confirmed followers have access to @ChicagoState’s posts and complete profile. Tap the ‘Follow’ button to send a follow request.”
Though the university did not explain why it took the decision, it follows a barrage of negative comments aimed at it by Nigerians who accused it of aiding Tinubu.
In August, Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the People's Democratic Party, requested court approval to subpoena Tinubu’s files domiciled with the university because he believed the documents would clarify glaring inconsistencies in the president’s background, including publicly available documents that suggested the institution, in the 1970s admitted a female student bearing Bola Tinubu born on March 29, 1954.
In pushback against Abubakar’s legal move, which could expose his academic record, Tinubu also filed a motion to prevent a federal court in the United States from releasing his academic records to his principal opponent in the 2023 presidential election.
The institution had claimed that a clerk was responsible for irregularities that characterised a certificate the school reprinted in Mr Tinubu’s name, according to court filings.
Amid the legal tussle in the U.S., Abubakar on Sunday mocked Tinubu, asking him to reveal how he obtained a degree from Chicago University without attending primary and secondary school.
Mr Atiku’s tweet sparked widespread reactions seeing the “AskTinubu” trend of X microblogging app on Sunday as Nigerians discuss Mr Tinubu’s academic records.
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