The Presidency has strongly criticised a United States lobbying firm engaged by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over its campaign for the release of records relating to President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement, the Presidency described the effort as a politically motivated attempt to create a crisis ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., was contracted by Atiku Abubakar for $1.2 million. It has submitted more than 60 pages of 1990s Department of Justice documents linked to a resolved 1993 civil forfeiture case involving alleged heroin proceeds in an account connected to Tinubu. The documents have been shared with officials in the Trump administration and members of the US Congress.
The Presidency maintains that the renewed focus on the decades-old civil matter is designed to generate political tension rather than serve any genuine public interest.
The development has sparked public debate. Some voices have called for the full release of the records to settle the issue once and for all, while others have accused both sides of hypocrisy in the use of foreign lobbying to influence domestic political narratives.
The 1993 civil forfeiture case was resolved many years ago and did not result in a criminal conviction. President Tinubu has previously denied any wrongdoing in connection with the matter.
