ABUJA: Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address questions surrounding a reported $460,000 forfeiture in the United States rather than focusing on the American lobbying firm he hired.
Atiku’s position was contained in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, in response to comments by Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications.
Dare had criticised Atiku’s decision to engage the US lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York, while warning against claims that the firm’s managing partner, Karl Von Batten, had direct access to US President Donald Trump or members of his administration or could influence ongoing legal proceedings.
But Atiku’s camp dismissed the criticism, accusing the Presidency of diverting attention from what it described as substantive questions contained in American judicial records.
According to Shaibu, the focus should be on the contents of the US court documents rather than on the identity or activities of the lobbyist engaged by Atiku.
Atiku reportedly hired Von Batten-Montague-York in March under a $1.2 million agreement aimed at protecting and strengthening his reputation in the United States.
A document filed with the US Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act reportedly stated that part of the firm’s objective was to counterbalance narratives being promoted by the Nigerian government in the United States.
The lobbying firm subsequently said in July that it had begun providing members of the Trump administration, Congress and senior congressional staff with US Department of Justice records relating to allegations concerning Tinubu.
Shaibu maintained that Atiku’s relationship with the lobbying firm was properly registered with the US Department of Justice and therefore should not be portrayed as a secret effort to influence the US government.
He instead challenged Tinubu to explain why his name appeared in historical US federal records involving narcotics and money-laundering matters and why a US District Court reportedly issued a decree ordering the forfeiture of $460,000 held in an account bearing his name.
“These are not documents written by Atiku Abubakar. They were not manufactured by Karl Von Batten. They form part of an American judicial record,” Shaibu said.
He, however, acknowledged that civil forfeiture does not amount to a criminal conviction, but argued that the existence of the court record remained a legitimate matter for public discussion.
Shaibu also accused the Tinubu administration of double standards in its criticism of Atiku’s $1.2 million lobbying arrangement.
He alleged that the Federal Government had itself entered into a lobbying agreement with DCI Group worth $750,000 per month, which he said amounted to $4.5 million over the first six months and could potentially reach $9 million.
According to him, both Tinubu and Atiku have the right to engage lobbyists, making it unfair for the Presidency to portray Atiku’s decision as an act of desperation.
The Atiku camp argued that the more pressing issues facing Nigerians are the rising cost of food and transportation, electricity bills, insecurity and declining purchasing power.
Shaibu therefore challenged the President to explain the government’s alleged lobbying expenditure before questioning Atiku’s own engagement.
“President Tinubu, before counting Atiku’s $1.2 million, account for your own $9 million arrangement. And before attacking the messenger, answer the $460,000 question,” he said.
The latest exchange has further intensified the political battle between Atiku and the Tinubu administration, with both sides trading accusations over lobbying activities, US records and the issues likely to shape Nigeria’s political debate ahead of the 2027 elections.
