The Presidency has criticised what it described as a coordinated media campaign surrounding a Washington-based advisory and lobbying firm linked to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, accusing the opposition of attempting to present political speculation as classified intelligence ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement signed by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Dr Sunday Dare, the Presidency described the campaign as a politically motivated effort aimed at securing foreign validation for allegations against the Nigerian government.
Dare argued that the reports circulating from Washington did not constitute an intelligence breakthrough, insisting that they lacked the documentary evidence required to support the serious claims being made.
He challenged those behind the reports to produce what he described as the “highly classified intelligence report”, identify their unnamed sources and provide tangible evidence for the allegations.
According to Dare, publicly available filings under the United States Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) show that Atiku Abubakar contracted Washington-based lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. under a $1.2 million, 12-month retainer.
He alleged that the arrangement was designed to counter narratives associated with the Nigerian government and deploy historical legal records as part of a political strategy ahead of the 2027 elections.
Dare further questioned the credibility of Dr Karl-Marx Edward Okeke-Von Batten, whom he described as a commercial lobbyist rather than an official representative of the United States government.
He argued that statements attributed to Okeke-Von Batten should therefore not be interpreted as representing the position of the U.S. government or President Donald Trump.
The presidential aide also took aim at what he described as the lobbyist’s references to access to senior figures within the Trump administration, including the president.
Dare alleged that Okeke-Von Batten had created the impression that he could influence matters surrounding the release of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) files connected to ongoing U.S. legal proceedings.
He, however, maintained that the lobbyist had no role in the proceedings and argued that the FBI’s position in the case was connected primarily to the protection of investigative techniques and confidential sources.
Dare said the proceedings had been ongoing since 2023 and cautioned against attempts to connect them to President Tinubu’s movements or foreign engagements.
He specifically dismissed any suggestion that President Tinubu’s European trip was connected to the ongoing U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) proceedings, stating that the president was on a previously scheduled annual leave.
The Presidency also referenced recent public discussion surrounding FOIA requests for historical records held by U.S. federal agencies.
Dare cited comments by Wole Afolabi, SAN, on Channels Television, arguing that legal efforts to withhold portions of the requested records were consistent with U.S. laws protecting confidential investigative processes.
According to Dare, the existence of withheld or redacted material should not automatically be interpreted as evidence that authorities are shielding the president from damaging information.
He further argued that if President Tinubu had been criminally liable under U.S. law during any previous investigation, American authorities would have had the opportunity to indict and prosecute him at the relevant time.
Dare maintained that American courts and law enforcement agencies should be allowed to carry out their statutory responsibilities without partisan interference or political pressure.
The presidential aide described the controversy surrounding the historical U.S. legal records as a distraction from what he characterised as the opposition’s lack of a coherent domestic political programme ahead of 2027.
He accused the opposition of failing to present Nigerians with comprehensive alternatives on the economy, agriculture, industrial development and other major areas of national policy.
Dare also criticised what he described as the opposition’s changing position on some of the difficult economic reforms implemented by the Tinubu administration, particularly the removal of fuel subsidies.
He argued that political actors who previously supported or acknowledged the necessity of structural reforms were now attempting to exploit the economic difficulties associated with those policies for political advantage.
According to him, the opposition’s alleged reliance on foreign lobbyists and international media campaigns represents an attempt to substitute external publicity for grassroots political engagement and domestic policy development.
Dare said political parties seeking Nigerians’ support in 2027 should focus on presenting credible economic blueprints, agricultural development plans, industrial strategies and practical solutions to the challenges facing citizens.
He maintained that Nigeria’s political future would ultimately be determined by voters at home rather than by statements issued from Washington or other foreign capitals.
The presidential aide defended the Tinubu administration’s record, pointing to what he described as efforts towards fiscal discipline, infrastructure development and institutional reforms as part of the government’s broader national revitalisation agenda.
He argued that these measures should be judged through their impact on the Nigerian economy and citizens rather than through what he described as politically motivated foreign narratives.
Dare further warned that the use of foreign lobbyists, international media platforms and historical legal documents as political weapons could not replace direct engagement with the Nigerian electorate.
He said Nigerians were increasingly capable of distinguishing between political messaging and verifiable evidence, arguing that electoral legitimacy must ultimately be earned through domestic accountability, policy credibility and tangible service delivery.
“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,” Dare said.
He maintained that the 2027 elections would provide Nigerians with the opportunity to assess competing political visions and determine which political actors had credible plans for governing the country.
The statement comes amid renewed political activity ahead of the 2027 general elections, with rival political camps increasingly seeking to shape public opinion around the performance of the Tinubu administration and the prospects of opposition figures.
Dare concluded that attempts to influence Nigeria’s political debate through foreign lobbying and publicity campaigns would ultimately have to contend with the judgment of Nigerian voters at the ballot box.