Nigeria Presidency Condemns Atiku Abubakar for US Lobbying Efforts

The Government of Nigeria issued a sharp rebuke of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar after he hired the Washington-based lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. to petition U.S. President Donald Trump, the U.S. State Department, and the U.S. Congress. Abubakar reportedly paid $1.2 million for a 12-month contract to revive a 1993 civil forfeiture case involving drug-trafficking allegations against President Bola Tinubu.

Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga described the lobbying effort as an affront to national sovereignty and an attempt to externalize domestic politics for personal gain ahead of the 2027 elections. The Presidency maintains the 1993 case was resolved over 30 years ago without criminal conviction and was rendered moot by the 2023 electoral mandates and Supreme Court rulings.

In a counter-offensive, the administration questioned Abubakar's own legal standing in the United States, citing his alleged involvement in the William Jefferson bribery scandal and a 2010 U.S. Senate investigation. Government officials alleged that Abubakar's pursuit of the presidency is motivated by a desire for diplomatic immunity to evade legal issues abroad.

Atiku Abubakar, now a presidential candidate for the African Democratic Congress, rejected these accusations. He argued that demanding transparency regarding public records is a democratic obligation and criticized the Presidency for using personal attacks to avoid providing factual answers about President Tinubu's past.