Atiku Blasts Presidency Over Attacks on US Lobbyist, Demands Full Explanation on Forfeited Funds and Alleged $9m PR Deal

Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address the circumstances surrounding the $460,000 forfeiture recorded in a United States court, warning that personal attacks against an American lobbyist will not erase judicial records.

The reaction follows sharp criticism from the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, who dismissed the activities of Washington-based lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York. Dare had questioned the credentials of its founder, Dr. Karl Von Batten, casting doubt on claims of his high-level access within the United States government and accusing Atiku of using foreign agents to manufacture political leverage ahead of the 2027 elections.

Firing back through a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku maintained that the presidency’s aggressive response against the lobbyist is a calculated attempt to divert public attention from substantive questions concerning past US court proceedings. Shaibu noted that the 1993 Chicago civil forfeiture decree is an official matter of American judicial history rather than opposition fabrications, stressing that records do not disappear simply because officials choose to abuse the messenger.

The former Vice President also accused the administration of blatant hypocrisy over lobbying expenditures. While presidential aides criticized Atiku’s $1.2 million retainer with Von Batten-Montague-York, Shaibu alleged that the Federal Government secretly engaged international consulting firm DCI Group on a contract valued at $750,000 per month—amounting to $4.5 million across six months, with terms that could escalate to $9 million. He challenged the President to provide a transparent account of this multi-million-dollar expenditure to Nigerian taxpayers before lecturing the opposition on spending.

Shaibu maintained that Atiku’s engagement with his US policy advisor was handled openly and in strict compliance with the law, with all disclosures formally lodged under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) of the US Department of Justice.

Advising the federal government to reorder its priorities, Atiku urged the presidency to channel its energy toward alleviating the acute economic distress facing ordinary citizens. He concluded that with families groaning under unbearable food inflation, rising fuel costs, and widespread insecurity, the administration owes the Nigerian people economic relief and honest accountability rather than evasive public relations battles.