The National Leader of the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has said the ongoing controversy involving President Bola Tinubu, the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over the president’s records with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, is damaging Nigeria’s image.
Baba-Ahmed said Nigerians should be more concerned about the reputational damage caused by the controversy than the eventual release of the records.
The former presidential aide made the remarks in a post on X on Thursday, where he expressed concern over the country’s worsening image amid challenges including insecurity, corruption, poverty and crime.
He wrote: “Shouldn’t we be more concerned over the damage being done to our image as Nigerians by the PBAT/FBI/Atiku saga?
“We are already damaged by seemingly outsourcing our national security, unspeakable levels of corruption, poverty, crimes and collapse of integrity of key institutions.”
The controversy followed a legal action instituted by Tinubu in a United States court to prevent the US Department of Justice, FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from releasing records relating to allegations dating back to the 1990s.
A US transparency activist, Aaron Greenspan, had requested the records through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against several US government agencies.
Greenspan’s requests include the FBI’s complete file on Tinubu and FBI Form 302 interview records relating to the period between 1992 and 1993.
The case also involves records allegedly connected to a 1993 civil forfeiture proceeding in the US involving about $460,000 linked to Tinubu.
The legal battle has attracted political attention in Nigeria, with Atiku and the ADC weighing in on the controversy and calling for transparency over the records.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
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