Presidency dismisses US lobbyist claims as political ploy

The Presidency has hit back at a US lobbying firm hired by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. They say the firm’s push for the release of records about President Bola Tinubu is a politically motivated move aimed at causing trouble before the 2027 elections.

Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, shared this view in a statement on Tuesday. The statement was titled, “Speculation as Classified Information: Atiku’s $1.2 million Lobbying Gamble Exposed.”

Dare accused the Washington-based firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., of trying to misrepresent political claims as intelligence reports. He said they were trying to make it seem like their statements reflected the views of the US government.

This response from the Presidency came after the lobbying firm increased its activities regarding US historical records tied to Tinubu.

Dare pointed out that filings available under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act revealed that Atiku hired the firm on a 12-month contract worth about $1.2 million.

He claimed that the firm’s actions are part of an effort by Atiku’s team to use historical US legal records to gain political advantage ahead of the upcoming elections.

Dare stated that the reports coming from Washington do not show the official stance of the US government.

He said, “The incendiary press releases being carefully churned out from Washington are public relations propaganda sheets passed off as the view of the U.S. Government. They are not.”

The presidential aide called on those making the claims to provide the classified intelligence they mentioned and name their sources.

“Sane minds must categorically dismiss these reports as fabricated, politically motivated, and entirely unsupported by evidence. The report presents no intelligence document, no named Western official, and no evidence of any exchange involving Nigeria’s secrets or resources.

“It is nothing more than political speculation packaged as classified information. We demand that they produce the so-called 'highly classified intelligence report,' identify their unnamed sources, and provide tangible evidence for their wild allegations,” Dare said.

He also questioned the founder of the lobbying firm, Karl Von Batten. He described Von Batten as a lobbyist and not someone who speaks for the US government.

“Dr. Karl Von Batten’s comments represent solely the position of an individual associated with Atiku-linked political interests, not the U.S. government or President Trump,” he added.

The argument focuses on historical records held by US federal agencies about Tinubu and a civil forfeiture case from the 1990s concerning funds taken by US authorities.

These records are also part of ongoing litigation in the US under the Freedom of Information Act.

PUNCH Online reported that a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and member of Tinubu’s legal team in the US, Wole Afolabi, defended the legal challenge against releasing parts of these records.

Afolabi spoke on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics. He said the US government had already released many pages of records but wanted to keep some parts secret to protect law enforcement methods, sources, and agents.

He explained that Tinubu’s legal team is using protections available under US law. He clarified that challenging the release of redacted portions does not mean they are trying to hide incriminating information.

Afolabi said, “This matter has been going on for quite some time, as you rightly said, and the DEA and other government agencies have produced documents and made available to Mr Greenspan.

“Now Mr Greenspan is asking that documents should be unredacted before they are handed over to him. The way the system works is this: it’s not what you want, it’s what the law stipulates.

“So precisely what we are doing is going under the coverage of the law. It’s what the law gives us the right to do. It would amount to professional malpractice on our part if we don’t take advantage of what the law offers.”

He also rejected the idea that the US government is holding back records to protect Tinubu specifically.

He said, “In one of the recent filings made by the Department of Justice, it was stated in the footnote at page 24 that their concern is about the methodology by which information is gathered.

“No mention was made of any protection being offered to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

Afolabi added that if US authorities had enough evidence linking Tinubu to drug trafficking, he would have been charged and prosecuted.

When asked if he was saying Tinubu had never taken drugs or been involved in drug trafficking, Afolabi replied, “What the evidence shows.”

He was also asked about the $460,000 forfeited to US authorities in the 1990s and the details of that civil forfeiture case.

Afolabi stood by the point that a civil forfeiture does not mean a person is guilty of a crime.

“If he was culpable, he simply would have been indicted. There’s no shortcut around it. He would have been indicted,” he explained.

The lawyer did not share Tinubu’s version of events, citing attorney-client privilege.

“I’m acting as his lawyer, and as a lawyer, there is what you call attorney-client privilege, and it’s taken very seriously over here. One can lose one’s licence very easily.

“Unfortunately, I can’t divulge any information that my client had disclosed to me confidentially. I’m sorry,” he said.

Afolabi also avoided a direct answer when asked if Tinubu had ever been investigated by the FBI or the Drug Enforcement Administration.

He clarified that law enforcement agencies can look into anyone without indicating criminal guilt.

“Anyone can be a subject of investigation. That’s just how it goes. I mean, there’s a presumption of innocence,” he said.

The lawyer argued that just because a person’s name appears in law enforcement records doesn’t mean they are guilty of a crime.

Afolabi defended Tinubu’s legal team’s push for privacy protections in their battle against the release of some records.

He compared it to US President Donald Trump’s attempts to stop the release of some academic records, stating that public officials do not lose their legal rights to privacy.

The lawyer said, “Everybody takes advantage of it. Everybody. If the law offers you protection, there’s a reason why the law is there.”

The Presidency’s statement comes amid ongoing discussions about the release of historical US law enforcement records related to Tinubu. The Freedom of Information Act case is still in a US federal court, where arguments about releasing and redacting the records are being considered.