TINUBU URGES US COURT TO REJECT ATIKU-LINKED LOBBYIST’S CASE

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked a United States federal court to dismiss a legal action linked to a lobbying firm hired by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, arguing that the claims being pursued lack sufficient evidence.

Tinubu’s legal team filed its response in the ongoing dispute over records relating to past investigations involving the Nigerian President in the United States. The case has attracted renewed attention amid efforts by Atiku’s US-based lobbyists to obtain and publicise documents connected to Tinubu’s activities in the country during the 1990s.

The President’s lawyers reportedly argued that the allegations advanced by the lobbyists do not establish the existence of any secret prosecution or undisclosed criminal case against Tinubu.

They also rejected suggestions that US authorities had entered into any secret arrangement with Tinubu to prevent criminal proceedings against him, describing such claims as unsupported by credible evidence.

The legal battle is connected to a Freedom of Information Act case in the United States involving American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who has sought records held by agencies including the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration concerning investigations involving Tinubu.

Atiku’s Washington-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has been actively pushing for the release of the records and has shared documents relating to the historical US case with officials in Washington.

The lobbying firm was hired by Atiku as part of his efforts to advance his political interests and strengthen his engagement with US policymakers ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election.

The dispute centres partly on a 1993 civil forfeiture case in which approximately $460,000 connected to Tinubu was forfeited to the US government. The case has repeatedly resurfaced in Nigerian political debates, particularly during the 2023 presidential election and subsequent legal challenges.

Tinubu has consistently denied wrongdoing and has not been convicted of drug trafficking in the United States. Previous Nigerian election litigation also considered issues surrounding his US history, with the courts ultimately upholding his election as President.

In the latest proceedings, Tinubu’s lawyers are seeking to prevent the Atiku-linked efforts from producing what they consider to be misleading conclusions about the President’s past.

The President’s legal team has also argued that the disclosure of certain records should be assessed under US privacy and law-enforcement protections.

The case comes amid an increasingly public political dispute between Tinubu and Atiku as both camps position themselves ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Atiku’s lobbyists have maintained that the historical records are relevant to questions surrounding Tinubu’s past and should be available for public scrutiny. The firm has continued to campaign for greater disclosure of the documents.

Tinubu’s latest court filing, however, seeks to halt the legal effort and prevent the case from being used to compel further disclosure of records that his lawyers argue are protected.

The US court will ultimately determine whether the arguments presented by Tinubu and the other parties are sufficient to dismiss the case or whether the proceedings should continue.

Until the court reaches a final decision, the allegations and claims surrounding the disputed records remain matters of legal and political contention.