THE Presidency has described former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s attempt to revive President Bola Tinubu’s decades-old United States forfeiture case through foreign lobbyists as self-defeating, insisting that the issue had long been settled.
News Point Nigeria reports that the presidential position was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who also argued that Atiku’s record in public office offered him no basis to seek the support of Nigerians.
Onanuga said the former vice-president “would be rotting away in jail for his crimes against Nigerian people if he were a Chinese.”
His reaction followed Wednesday’s announcement by Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., a Washington-based lobbying firm retained by Atiku, that it had begun providing officials of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), members of President Donald Trump’s administration, Congress, and senior congressional staff with records relating to drug-trafficking allegations previously linked to Tinubu.
The lobbying firm was hired by Atiku in March under a 12-month contract valued at $1.2 million to help strengthen his reputation in the United States, facilitate engagements with American officials and lawmakers, and counter what the agreement described as the Nigerian government’s lobbying narratives.
In a post on X, the firm said many officials within the US government were previously unaware of the DOJ allegations concerning Tinubu and that it intended to ensure that the complete collection of DOJ court filings, a supporting affidavit, and related federal court decisions were brought to the attention of President Trump.
Reacting, Onanuga said Atiku’s “relentless desire to become president of Nigeria” had caused him to “regrettably close his eyes to the virtues of statesmanship, decorum, and propriety expected of an elder statesman.”
According to him, rather than embracing the dignity and maturity expected of a former vice-president, Atiku had continued “to diminish himself through reckless public statements and desperate political manoeuvres.”
“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,” the statement said.
“In his latest act, Atiku Abubakar’s lobbying group in the US has submitted petitions to President Trump and the US State Department regarding a civil forfeiture case from 1993—a matter long settled, with no criminal conviction or finding of guilt.”
The presidential spokesman argued that the issue Atiku was attempting to resurrect had been resolved more than three decades ago in the United States and had also been thoroughly litigated, explained, and rendered moot by the electoral mandates freely given to Tinubu by the people of Lagos State and Nigeria.
“Reviving this matter today is an affront to the intelligence of Nigerians and an attempt to rewrite history for personal gain,” Onanuga stated.
“It is important to remind Atiku and his associates that Nigeria is a sovereign nation, not a satellite of any foreign power.
“Reporting the President of Nigeria to another country’s leader is not only inappropriate but also undermines the nation’s dignity and independence. Such actions are incongruous with the responsibilities of a statesman and are ultimately self-defeating.”
Onanuga further stated that if Atiku had chosen to disregard his own self-respect, he should at least respect the country he still aspires to lead and the office he continues to seek.
While acknowledging that lobbying is a legitimate feature of American politics, the presidential aide argued that engaging paid foreign agents to circulate what he described as discredited documents against a sitting Nigerian president amounted to an attempt to externalise domestic politics and undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty.
“Nigerians resolved this matter at the ballot in February 2023 and in the Supreme Court. That verdict stands, and Atiku’s latest fishing expedition would amount to nought,” he said.
The presidential spokesman also contended that if Atiku could spend $1.2 million on American lobbyists to report Tinubu, he should equally explain his own legal history in the United States.
“He featured most prominently in the William Jefferson bribery scandal, a matter which saw the American congressman jailed,” Onanuga said.
“Atiku, along with his former wife Jennifer Douglas, was one of the subjects of an elaborate US Senate Investigation, Keeping Foreign Corruption Out of the United States: Four Case Histories.”
According to Onanuga, the investigation, chaired by former US Senator Carl Levin and released in February 2010, documented how Atiku allegedly used offshore companies to move suspect funds, including alleged multinational bribes worth millions of dollars, into the United States.
He further alleged that Atiku’s continued quest for the presidency was driven not only by what he described as “marabout-fuelled ambition,” but also by a desire to secure diplomatic immunity and avoid potential legal challenges abroad.
“Recycling discredited allegations and documents from the 2023 campaign will not improve his chances in 2027,” Onanuga said.
“Nigerians have not forgotten the legacy of the privatisation programme under Atiku’s watch as vice president. He presided over an egregious privatisation heist, selling national assets to cronies for peanuts and causing thousands of job losses and unpaid salaries and pensions that President Tinubu is clearing today.”
Onanuga also faulted the former vice-president for choosing media campaigns and lobbying efforts in Washington rather than presenting policy alternatives to address Nigeria’s challenges.
“The challenges Nigeria faces require serious engagement, thoughtful solutions, and leadership at home—not grandstanding abroad,” he stated.
He maintained that President Tinubu remains focused on implementing his Renewed Hope Agenda, stabilising the economy, attracting investments, improving national security, and restoring Nigeria’s global standing.
“He is not distracted by political actors, perennial losers like Atiku, who now seek validation abroad,” Onanuga added.