- Tinubu Unfazed, Perennial Losers Like Atiku Seek Validation Abroad-Presidency
- Atiku: If He Is Unfazed, Why Is He Blocking FBI, DOJ Files Release?
A fresh war of words has erupted between the Presidency and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over renewed efforts by the opposition to draw the attention of United States President Donald Trump to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decades-old US civil forfeiture case, with both sides exchanging blistering accusations.
The latest exchange followed reports that a US lobbying group working for Atiku had petitioned President Trump and American authorities over Tinubu’s 1993 civil forfeiture case.
Reacting in a strongly worded statement on Thursday, Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga accused Atiku of dragging Nigeria into foreign political circles because of what he described as an “obsession” with becoming president.
“It is baffling and disappointing that someone who has sought the presidency for over three decades now resorts to reporting the President of Nigeria to US President Donald Trump and members of the US Congress,” Onanuga said.
According to him, the matter being raised by Atiku’s camp was resolved more than 30 years ago and had never resulted in any criminal conviction against Tinubu.
“This issue was resolved over 30 years ago in the United States and has been thoroughly litigated, explained, and rendered moot by the electoral mandates conferred on President Bola Tinubu,” he stated.
The Presidency argued that Nigeria is a sovereign nation and condemned what it described as Atiku’s attempt to “externalise domestic politics.”
“Reporting the President of Nigeria to another country’s leader is not only inappropriate but also undermines the nation’s dignity and independence,” Onanuga declared.
The presidential aide also turned the spotlight on Atiku, alleging that the former vice president was linked to the William Jefferson bribery scandal and was referenced in a 2010 US Senate investigation into foreign corruption.
He further claimed that Atiku’s renewed campaign against Tinubu was driven by personal ambition rather than national interest.
“President Tinubu is unfazed by Atiku’s theatrics… He remains focused on his Renewed Hope Agenda while perennial losers like Atiku seek validation abroad,” Onanuga added.
But the Atiku Media Office swiftly rejected the Presidency’s position, accusing Tinubu’s aides of attempting to “whitewash” what it described as the President’s alleged links to a heroin trafficking investigation in the United States.
In a statement, the former vice president’s media team argued that the Presidency had inadvertently admitted the existence of the case by insisting it had been settled.
“We are shocked that the Presidency would claim that the narcotics trafficking charges against Tinubu have ‘long been settled’ and rendered moot by an electoral mandate,” the statement read.
It insisted that an election victory could not erase official records or extinguish legitimate public interest in the matter.
The Atiku Media Office also questioned why the Tinubu administration was allegedly resisting efforts to obtain documents relating to the President from the FBI and the US Department of Justice.
“If the case against their principal is truly time-barred, why are they so panicky about any attempt to revisit it? Why is President Tinubu blocking every move to unravel what is in his FBI/DOJ files?” the statement asked.
The opposition maintained that criminal justice matters could be revisited whenever new circumstances emerge, particularly following the change of administration in the United States.
It argued that revisiting the case would not amount to an attack on Nigeria but rather an effort to ensure accountability.
“If President Tinubu has nothing to hide… he should submit himself to the process of revisiting the case instead of frustrating disclosures through frivolous court appeals,” the Atiku Media Office said.
The media office further argued that the Office of the President carries enormous moral and reputational responsibility, warning that allegations surrounding the country’s leader have implications for Nigeria’s international image.
The latest confrontation marks another escalation in the bitter political rivalry between Tinubu and Atiku, with both camps increasingly taking their battle beyond Nigeria’s borders as political tensions build ahead of the 2027 general election.
