The Presidency has described former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s reported $1.2 million lobbying arrangement with a Washington-based advisory firm as a reflection of desperation and an alleged lack of a coherent political agenda ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, made the claims in a statement titled, “Speculation as Classified Information: Atiku’s $1.2 million Lobbying Gamble Exposed.”
Dare alleged that a coordinated media campaign linked to a Washington-based lobbying firm sought to present political speculation as classified intelligence.
According to the presidential aide, reports circulating from the United States contained no intelligence documents, named Western officials or documentary evidence to support allegations involving Nigeria’s secrets or resources.
He challenged those behind the reports to produce what they described as a “highly classified intelligence report,” identify their sources and provide evidence for the allegations.
“To evaluate these claims with legal rigour and logical integrity requires examining the architecture of this political stunt,” Dare said.
He claimed that publicly verifiable filings under the United States Foreign Agents Registration Act, FARA, showed that Atiku contracted Washington-based Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. on a $1.2 million, 12-month retainer.
Dare alleged that the purpose of the arrangement was to pursue a partisan campaign to counter Nigerian government narratives and to use historical legal records for political advantage ahead of the 2027 elections.
The presidential spokesman also took a swipe at Dr Karl-Marx Edward Okeke-Von Batten, describing him as a commercial lobbyist whose comments, he said, did not represent the position of the United States government or President Donald Trump.
Dare alleged that Okeke-Von Batten had no connection with the ongoing United States court proceedings concerning Freedom of Information Act requests for the release of historical records.
According to him, the case had been active since 2023, while the FBI’s position on withholding certain information was related to protecting its investigative methods and the safety of its sources.
He also dismissed suggestions linking President Bola Tinubu’s trip to Europe with the ongoing US legal proceedings, insisting that the President was on a previously scheduled annual leave.
