$1.2m US Lobbying: Presidency Accuses Atiku of Peddling Political Speculation as Classified Information
The presidency has accused the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, of using a $1.2 million lobbying arrangement in Washington, D.C., to promote political speculation as classified information ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, made the allegation in a statement while reacting to reports and claims emanating from a Washington-based advisory and lobbying firm linked to Atiku.
Dare described the reports as a politically motivated campaign aimed at creating a crisis around President Bola Tinubu and gaining foreign validation for opposition politics in Nigeria.
He noted that publicly verifiable filings under the United States Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) show that Atiku contracted the Washington-based firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., on a $1.2 million, 12-month retainer.
He alleged that the engagement was intended, among other things, to counter the Nigerian Government’s narratives and use historical legal records for political leverage ahead of the 2027 elections.
Dare also dismissed claims attributed to Dr Karl-Marx Edward Okeke-Von Batten, whom he described as a commercial lobbyist and founder of the firm, saying his statements should not be interpreted as representing the position of the US Government or President Donald Trump.
“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,” he said.
He challenged those behind the reports to produce the alleged “highly classified intelligence report”, identify their unnamed sources and provide documentary evidence to support the allegations.
The presidential aide further argued that the ongoing US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) proceedings involving historical records had no connection with President Tinubu’s current European trip.
He clarified that Tinubu was on a previously scheduled annual leave and dismissed any suggestion that the President’s travel was connected to the US legal proceedings.
Dare also referenced comments by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Wole Afolabi on Channels Television concerning FOIA requests for historical records held by US federal agencies.
According to him, Afolabi explained that the withholding of portions of the records was consistent with US legal provisions protecting confidential investigative processes and should not be construed as an attempt to shield the President from damaging information.
Dare maintained that if Tinubu had been criminally liable under US law in connection with past investigations, American authorities would have indicted and prosecuted him at the time.
He urged the US judiciary and law enforcement agencies to continue with their statutory responsibilities without partisan interference.
The Special Adviser also criticised the opposition’s 2027 political strategy, accusing it of lacking a coherent economic and policy alternative to the Tinubu administration.
He asserted that the opposition had instead resorted to “muckraking, emotional manipulation, and ethnic polarisation”, while relying on foreign lobbyists and media campaigns to generate political controversies.
Dare argued that Nigerians would ultimately judge political parties and candidates based on their policies, performance and ability to address domestic challenges rather than contested historical documents or foreign media campaigns.
He emphasised that the Tinubu administration remained focused on fiscal reforms, infrastructure development and institutional reforms, noting that electoral support would ultimately be determined by the Nigerian electorate.
“True democratic validation is earned through the ballot box and tangible service delivery to the citizens at home, not through manufactured headlines bought and paid for in foreign currency,” he added.
