Presidency Accuses Atiku of Hiring US Lobbyists
The presidency of President Bola Tinubu has hit back at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of hiring American lobbyists to petition US President Donald Trump and the State Department over a civil forfeiture case that dates back to 1993. In a strongly worded statement, the Tinubu presidency described the lobbying effort as an embarrassment to Nigeria's sovereignty, arguing that the 1993 matter was resolved more than three decades ago with no criminal conviction or finding of guilt against Tinubu. The presidency said reviving the case through paid foreign agents was an attempt to rewrite settled history for personal political gain.
Atiku's Own US Legal Record Raised
The Tinubu camp turned the spotlight on Atiku's own history in the United States, alleging he spent $1.2 million on American lobbyists while carrying unresolved legal baggage of his own abroad. The presidency pointed to Atiku's involvement in the William Jefferson bribery scandal, which ended with the American congressman's imprisonment. It also cited a February 2010 US Senate investigation chaired by Senator Carl Levin, titled "Keeping Foreign Corruption Out of the United States: Four Case Histories," which reportedly documented how Atiku used offshore companies to move suspect funds, including alleged bribes from multinational corporations, into America. The report named Atiku and his former wife, Jennifer Douglas, among its subjects.
Presidency Defends Tinubu's Record, Attacks Atiku
Beyond the lobbying dispute, the presidency took aim at Atiku's record as vice president, accusing him of overseeing what it described as a damaging privatisation programme that sold national assets below value, cost thousands of workers their jobs, and left unpaid salaries and pensions that the current administration is still clearing. The presidency insisted that Tinubu was not distracted by the campaign, saying he remained focused on his Renewed Hope Agenda, covering economic stabilisation, investment attraction, and national security. Atiku, who has contested the Nigerian presidency multiple times, including the February 2023 election whose outcome was upheld by the Supreme Court, has not publicly commented on the presidency's response. He is widely expected to seek the presidency again in 2027.
