WASHINGTON — Washington-based lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. has disclosed that it has begun submitting historical U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) records concerning President Bola Tinubu to officials within the White House National Security Council, members of Congress, and senior congressional staff.
The lobbying firm, retained under a $1.2 million strategic engagement contract associated with former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar, stated that it is circulating over 60 pages of federal court filings, supporting affidavits, and judicial rulings. The documentation centers on a 1993 U.S. civil forfeiture case in the Northern District of Illinois that originated from a federal narcotics investigation into bank accounts held in the United States in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Dr. Von Batten, managing partner at the advocacy firm, indicated that the ongoing submissions aim to address what the firm describes as an information gap among current U.S. policymakers regarding the historical legal proceedings. According to the firm, the dossier includes a comprehensive background chronology alongside court records and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation documents, provided to relevant House and Senate committees for informational and oversight purposes.
The renewed push in Washington has triggered reactions across Nigeria’s political divide. Media aides and allies linked to Atiku Abubakar publicly welcomed the disclosures, arguing that international partners and the Nigerian electorate deserve full transparency regarding the historical records.
Conversely, government representatives and supporters of President Tinubu have consistently dismissed the revival of the issue as a politically motivated smear campaign orchestrated by opposition figures unable to accept the outcome of the 2023 presidential election. Legal representatives for the president maintain that the 1990s proceedings were entirely civil in nature, involving a negotiated settlement with no admission of guilt or criminal conviction.
The historical civil forfeiture case formed a central component of legal challenges brought by opposition candidates following the 2023 general election. Both the Presidential Election Petition Court and the Supreme Court of Nigeria subsequently dismissed those petitions, ruling that civil forfeiture does not constitute a criminal conviction under Nigerian constitutional law. President Tinubu has repeatedly denied any personal wrongdoing regarding the historical U.S. case.
