Presidency rejects US lobbyist reports as politically motivated

The Nigerian Presidency has dismissed a United States lobbying firm's efforts to release records related to President Bola Tinubu as a politically motivated campaign, according to a statement from the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare. The firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., has been contracted by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for a 12-month retainer reportedly worth $1.2 million.

Dare accused the firm of presenting political claims as intelligence reports and attempting to give the impression that these statements represented the position of the United States government. The controversy stems from historical US records concerning Tinubu and a 1990s civil forfeiture case involving funds forfeited to US authorities, currently under litigation in the US.

Dare challenged those behind the allegations to provide classified intelligence and identify their sources, dismissing the reports as "fabricated, politically motivated, and entirely unsupported by evidence."

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.