Atiku Abubakar and Tinubu Administration Clash Over US Lobbying

The Nigerian Presidency and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar are engaged in a public dispute over foreign lobbying and financial records in the United States. Special Adviser Sunday Dare condemned Abubakar for reportedly signing a $1.2 million, 12-month retainer with the Washington-based firm Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. The Presidency characterized the agreement as a political stunt intended to secure foreign validation before the 2027 general elections and dismissed the firm's founder, Karl Von Batten, as a commercial lobbyist whose views do not represent the U.S. government.

Abubakar responded by dismissing the administration's focus on his lobbying contract as a diversionary tactic. He challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration to account for a separate $9 million arrangement and an alleged $460,000 forfeiture in the United States. Abubakar asserted that the government is using attacks on the lobbying firm to shift public attention away from these financial records.

Sunday Dare maintained that democratic validation is earned through domestic service rather than manufactured headlines bought with foreign currency. In contrast, Abubakar stated that his team will stick to the records, arguing that documents do not respond to insults.