A Nigerian legal practitioner has questioned the motives behind former Vice President Atiku Abubakar's reported decision to hire a Washington lobbying firm to investigate President Bola Tinubu's past dealings in the United States, describing the move as a worrying political precedent.
Titilope Anifowose, a legal practitioner, shared her views in an interview with Legit.ng, saying she found the development "politically revealing" but urged caution against treating allegations as proven facts. She noted that the reported 12-month lobbying contract is on record under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Transparency and the Evidence Standard
While Anifowose said she supports transparency and believes public officials should be held to the highest standards, she drew a clear line between raising questions and making firm conclusions. She added that anyone who believes Tinubu has acted wrongly should bring forward concrete evidence rather than rely on a foreign lobbyist to shape Nigerian public opinion.
"I find it politically revealing, but I also think we need to be intellectually honest about what is actually happening," Anifowose said in her full statement. "Atiku is entitled to pursue whatever legal or political strategy he considers necessary. But when a Nigerian politician spends $1.2 million on a Washington lobbying firm to dig into the historical records of another Nigerian politician, I think Nigerians are justified in asking: what exactly is the objective, and what does it say about the politics we are building?"
The Real Battle Should Be About Nigeria
Anifowose's sharpest criticism centred on what she sees as a drift away from issue-based politics. She argued that Atiku should be presenting Nigerians with a clear vision on the economy, security, education, federalism and national development, rather than channelling resources into Washington-based campaigns.
"The 2027 election should ultimately be a referendum on competing visions for Nigeria, not a referendum on who can hire the more expensive lobbyist in America," she said. She told Legit.ng that Atiku is entitled to pursue whatever legal or political strategy he considers necessary, but that the approach raises broader questions about the direction of Nigerian democracy.
"If there are genuine questions about President Tinubu's past dealings in the United States, let the relevant documents come out. I have no problem with transparency. In fact, I believe strongly that public officials should be held to the highest standards. But transparency must work both ways," Anifowose added.
Precedent and Political Judgment
Anifowose expressed discomfort with what she described as an attempt to turn allegations, lobbying campaigns and media narratives into established facts before the evidence has been independently tested. She drew a distinction between saying "there are questions surrounding this matter" and saying "the President has a criminal record," noting that those are not the same thing.
"What concerns me more is the precedent. We should be building a democracy where Nigerian politicians return to Nigerians with their ideas, records, policies and vision—not one where our domestic political battles increasingly become lobbying campaigns in Washington," she said. "Atiku should tell Nigerians what he intends to do differently about the economy, security, institutions, education, federalism and national development."
Atiku Abubakar, who served as Nigeria's Vice President from 1999 to 2007, was ratified as the presidential candidate of the New Democratic Congress (NDC) on May 29, 2026, ahead of the 2027 general elections, having resigned from the African Democratic Congress on May 2, 2026.
Anifowose concluded: "And frankly, if anyone believes President Tinubu has done something wrong, bring the evidence. Don't ask Nigerians to outsource their political judgment to a Washington lobbyist."
