The presidency says former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s attempt to revive President Bola Tinubu’s US forfeiture case through foreign lobbyists is self-defeating.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesperson, said Atiku’s “dismal record” as a public servant shows that he has no reason to ask Nigerians for their votes.
Onanuga said the former vice-president “would be rotting away in jail for his crimes against Nigerian people if he were a Chinese”.
On Wednesday, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., a Washington-based lobbying firm, said it had begun providing US Department of Justice (DOJ) records concerning drug-trafficking allegations against Tinubu to members of President Donald Trump’s administration, Congress, and senior congressional staff.
The firm was hired by Atiku in March under a 12-month, $1.2 million lobbying contract to help strengthen his reputation in the US, facilitate engagements with US officials and Congress, and counter what the contract describes as the Nigerian government’s lobbying narratives.
In a post on X, the firm said many within the US government were previously unaware of the DOJ’s allegations concerning Tinubu, adding that it intended to ensure that the complete collection of DOJ court filings, a supporting affidavit and related federal court decisions were brought to Trump’s attention.
However, Onanuga said Atiku’s “relentless desire to become president of Nigeria” had caused him to “regrettably close his eyes to the virtues of statesmanship, decorum, and propriety expected of an elder statesman”.
He said, “instead of embracing the dignity and maturity that come with his standing”, Atiku had continued “to diminish himself through reckless public statements and desperate political manoeuvres”.
“It is baffling and disappointing that someone who has sought the presidency for over three decades now resorts to reporting the President of Nigeria to US President Donald Trump and members of the US Congress,” the statement reads.
“In his latest act, Atiku Abubakar’s lobbying group in the US has submitted petitions to President Trump and the US State Department regarding a civil forfeiture case from 1993—a matter long settled, with no criminal conviction or finding of guilt.”
‘AN AFFRONT TO NIGERIA’S SOVEREIGNTY’
The presidential aide argued that the issue Atiku was attempting to revive was resolved over 30 years ago in the US “and has been thoroughly litigated, explained, and rendered moot by the electoral mandates conferred on President Tinubu by the people of Lagos and Nigeria at large”.
“Reviving this matter today is an affront to the intelligence of Nigerians and an attempt to rewrite history for personal gain,” he said.
“It is important to remind Atiku and his associates that Nigeria is a sovereign nation, not a satellite of any foreign power.
“Reporting the President of Nigeria to another country’s leader is not only inappropriate but also undermines the nation’s dignity and independence. Such actions are incongruous with the responsibilities of a statesman and are ultimately self-defeating.”
Onanuga said “if Atiku has chosen to disregard his own sense of self-respect and self-worth, he should, at the very least, show respect for the country he aspires to lead and the office he so ardently seeks”.
While acknowledging that lobbying is a legitimate part of American politics, Onanuga said employing paid foreign agents to peddle discredited documents against a sitting Nigerian president is not advocacy but an attempt to externalise domestic politics and undermine the country’s sovereignty.
“Nigerians resolved this matter at the ballot in February 2023 and in the Supreme Court. That verdict stands, and Atiku’s latest fishing expedition would amount to nought,” he said.
The presidential spokesperson contended that if Abubakar could spend $1.2 million on American lobbyists to report Tinubu, he should also clarify his own legal standing in the US.
“He featured most prominently in the William Jefferson bribery scandal, a matter which saw the American congressman jailed,” Onanuga said.
“Atiku, along with his former wife Jennifer Douglas, was one of the subjects of an elaborate US Senate Investigation, ‘Keeping Foreign Corruption Out of the United States: Four Case Histories’.”
According to Onanuga, the report of the investigation, chaired by Carl Levin, a US senator, was released in February 2010 and “documented how Atiku used offshore companies to bring suspect funds, including bribes from multinationals, running into millions of dollars, into the United States”.
‘TINUBU UNFAZED BY ATIKU’S THEATRICS’
Onanuga added that Atiku’s desire to become president is driven not just by his “marabout-fuelled ambition”, but by a desire for diplomatic immunity and to evade potential legal issues abroad.
“Recycling discredited allegations and documents from the 2023 campaign will not improve his chances in 2027,” he said.
“Nigerians have not forgotten the legacy of the privatisation programme under Atiku’s watch as vice president. He presided over an egregious privatisation heist, selling national assets to cronies for peanuts and causing thousands of job losses and unpaid salaries and pensions that President Tinubu is clearing today.”
Onanuga added that rather than present policy alternatives to address the country’s challenges, the former vice-president had chosen the path of media theatrics and lobbying in Washington.
“The challenges Nigeria faces require serious engagement, thoughtful solutions, and leadership at home—not grandstanding abroad,” he said.
He added that President Tinubu is unfazed by Atiku’s theatrics as he remains focused on his renewed hope agenda, stabilising the economy, attracting investments, securing the nation, and restoring Nigeria’s standing in the world.
“He is not distracted by political actors, perennial losers like Atiku, who now seek validation abroad,” he said.
Stay ahead with the latest updates!
Join The Podium Media on WhatsApp for real-time news alerts, breaking stories, and exclusive content delivered straight to your phone. Don’t miss a headline — subscribe now!
Chat with Us on WhatsApp
