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The Presidency has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his reported move to revive President Bola Tinubu’s decades-old US civil forfeiture case through a Washington-based lobbying firm, with spokesman Bayo Onanuga saying Atiku would be “rotting away in jail” if he were Chinese.
Onanuga described the move as an attempt to undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty and international image. The lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, was reportedly engaged by Atiku under a $1.2 million contract to distribute DOJ records to the Trump administration and Congress.
The Presidency said the forfeiture case was a civil matter already settled in Nigerian courts and insisted the effort would not diminish Tinubu’s legitimacy.
Key Points:
The Presidency criticised Atiku for hiring a US lobbyist on Tinubu’s 1993 forfeiture case.
Onanuga said Atiku would be “rotting in jail” if he were Chinese.
The lobbying firm was contracted for $1.2 million to distribute DOJ records.
The Presidency said the forfeiture case was a civil matter already settled in court.
Onanuga also criticised Atiku’s record as chairman of the National Council on Privatisation.
The move to engage a US lobbying firm signals Atiku’s determination to keep the issue alive on the international stage, setting the stage for a protracted political battle.
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