Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Bornet .k
A political dispute has emerged between former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani and Paul Ibe, media adviser to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, over the decision by the opposition figure to engage a United States lobbying firm to push for the release of documents connected to allegations involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The disagreement followed reports that Washington-based lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., engaged by Atiku, had begun sharing United States Department of Justice records relating to alleged drug trafficking claims involving Tinubu with officials in the administration of President Donald Trump, members of Congress and senior congressional aides.
Reacting to the development, Sani criticised the move, describing it as damaging to Nigeria’s image and inappropriate for opposition actors in a democratic system.
The former lawmaker, in a statement on his X account, argued that seeking assistance from foreign governments or lobbying groups to challenge a sitting Nigerian president could have negative consequences for the country’s international reputation.
“Engaging US lobby groups to criminalise the President and his administration and curry favour from the US Government is unconscionable and unpatriotic,” Sani said.
He warned that such actions might not achieve their intended goals but could expose Nigerians to broader diplomatic challenges, including possible restrictions affecting citizens travelling or doing business internationally.
According to Sani, political opposition should focus on winning public support and competing through Nigeria’s democratic institutions rather than seeking foreign involvement in domestic political disputes.
“The opposition should fight and struggle for power within the borders of our country. Seeking foreign help for regime change in a democratic setting is wrong,” he stated.
However, Atiku’s media adviser, Paul Ibe, defended the decision to hire a lobbying firm, arguing that there was nothing unlawful or unusual about engaging professional lobbyists in the United States.
Responding to Sani, Ibe said the move was justified, particularly if the objective was to obtain information that Nigerians have a right to know.
“There’s nothing wrong with hiring a lobbyist, especially when you are confronted with a dictatorship,” he wrote.
Ibe also alleged that the Nigerian government had previously spent significant resources engaging lobbyists in the United States, claiming that President Tinubu’s administration had spent millions of dollars on similar activities.
He argued that the central issue was not the use of lobbyists but the need for transparency regarding records held by United States authorities concerning Tinubu’s past.
According to Ibe, Nigerians deserve access to information contained in FBI and Department of Justice files relating to the allegations and previous forfeiture proceedings involving the president.
“Do Nigerians deserve to know what is in the FBI and DOJ files about Tinubu? Yes. Nigerians are entitled to know everything about their President or a prospective President,” he said.
The Atiku aide challenged supporters of the president to support the release of the documents if they believed there was nothing damaging contained in them.
The controversy comes amid renewed political tensions ahead of Nigeria’s next election cycle, with opposition figures and supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress continuing to debate issues surrounding transparency, accountability and political strategy.
Supporters of Atiku’s position argue that seeking information from foreign institutions is a legitimate effort to promote accountability, particularly where international records are involved.
However, critics maintain that involving foreign lobbying firms in domestic political disputes risks undermining Nigeria’s sovereignty and could negatively affect the country’s global reputation.
The debate also highlights broader questions about the role of lobbying in international politics. In many countries, including the United States, political actors, governments and organisations regularly hire lobbying firms to influence policymakers and communicate their positions on issues.
As the dispute continues, both sides remain divided over whether the move represents a legitimate demand for transparency or an inappropriate attempt to involve foreign actors in Nigeria’s political affairs.
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