{
  "id": 4890220,
  "title": "Presidency rejects US lobbyist reports as politically motivated",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/presidency-rejects-us-lobbyist-reports-as-politically-motivated",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-01T16:16:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch",
    "slug": "punch",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/presidency-rejects-us-lobbyist-reports-as-politically-motivated/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Presidency has dismissed a United States lobbying firm's campaign for the release of records related to President Bola Tinubu, labeling it as politically motivated and part of an attempt to create a crisis before the 2027 elections. The criticism was made by Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, in a statement on Tuesday. The Washington-based Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. was accused of presenting political claims as intelligence reports, trying to give the impression that these statements represented the U.S. government's position. The firm reportedly contracted Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President, on a 12-month retainer worth $1.2 million. Dare challenged those behind the allegations to produce classified intelligence and identify their sources, dismissing the reports as fabricated and politically motivated. The controversy involves historical records held by U.S. federal agencies concerning Tinubu and a 1990s civil forfeiture case involving funds forfeited to U.S. authorities.",
  "summary": "The Presidency dismisses US lobbyist reports on Bola Tinubu’s records as politically motivated, accusing Atiku Abubakar’s firm of creating pre-2027 electio Read More: https://punchng.com/presidency-rejects-us-lobbyist-reports-as-politically-motivated/",
  "key_points": [
    "Presidency dismisses US lobbying firm's campaign as politically motivated.",
    "Von Batten-Montague-York accused of presenting political claims as intelligence reports.",
    "Atiku Abubakar contracted for 12-month retainer worth $1.2 million."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "Presidency rejects US lobbyist reports as politically motivated",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/presidency-rejects-us-lobbyist-reports-as-politically-motivated-4895099",
        "published": "2026-09-01T16:46:39.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}