A United States lobbying firm linked to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has renewed its campaign for the release of official American records relating to President Bola Tinubu’s decades-old civil forfeiture case, intensifying an issue that has remained at the center of Nigeria’s political discourse.
The Washington-based firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, announced that it was pressing U.S. authorities to comply with a court order directing the release of documents connected to the matter. The firm also disclosed plans to engage anti-drug organizations, religious leaders, and victims of heroin abuse in the United States as part of its advocacy campaign.
According to the lobbying firm, the documents were the subject of multiple Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests submitted by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan. It alleged that U.S. agencies failed to release the records despite a 2025 ruling by U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ordering their disclosure, insisting that the documents should now be made public.
The case relates to a civil forfeiture proceeding in the United States more than three decades ago involving funds linked to bank accounts associated with Tinubu. The matter has resurfaced repeatedly in Nigerian politics, particularly during election cycles, with opposition figures calling for greater transparency while the Presidency maintains that the case did not result in any criminal conviction against the Nigerian leader.
The latest move comes days after the same lobbying firm disclosed that it had begun circulating historical U.S. Department of Justice records relating to the forfeiture case to members of the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, members of Congress, and senior congressional staff. The firm said the objective was to ensure American policymakers were aware of the historical records while encouraging renewed attention to the issue.
Political observers say the renewed lobbying campaign is likely to heighten tensions between Nigeria’s ruling party and the opposition as preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum. Atiku Abubakar, who is seeking the presidency under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has continued to criticize the Tinubu administration on issues of governance and accountability, while the Presidency has dismissed attempts to revive the decades-old case as politically motivated.
The lobbying effort is part of a broader engagement in Washington following a reported 12-month contract between Atiku Abubakar and the U.S.-based firm aimed at strengthening his international profile and facilitating engagements with American policymakers. The arrangement has drawn political reactions in Nigeria, with supporters describing it as a legitimate advocacy initiative and critics accusing the opposition of internationalizing domestic political disputes.
As debate over the records continues, the issue is expected to remain a contentious subject in Nigeria’s political landscape. While the opposition insists that the release of the documents is necessary in the interest of transparency and public accountability, the Tinubu administration has consistently maintained that the civil forfeiture proceedings did not amount to a criminal conviction and therefore do not affect the President’s eligibility or legitimacy.
