A fresh war of words has erupted between former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani and Paul Ibe, media adviser to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, over the opposition’s decision to hire a United States lobbying firm to seek the release of documents linked to President Bola Tinubu’s alleged drug trafficking case.
The disagreement followed reports that Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., a Washington-based lobbying firm hired by Atiku, had begun sharing United States Department of Justice (DOJ) records relating to Tinubu with officials in the Donald Trump administration, members of Congress and senior congressional aides.
Reacting on his X account, Shehu Sani condemned the move, describing it as unpatriotic and harmful to Nigeria’s image abroad.
“Engaging US lobby groups to criminalise the President and his administration and curry favour from the US Government is unconscionable and unpatriotic,” Sani wrote.
He warned that the action could negatively affect Nigeria’s international reputation without achieving its intended goal.
“It may not achieve its objectives but will undoubtedly damage the international reputation of the country, escalate global repudiation against our citizens and lead us into the traps of sanctions and visa restrictions,” he added.
Sani further argued that political parties should pursue power through democratic processes within Nigeria rather than seeking support from foreign interests.
“The opposition should fight and struggle for power within the borders of our country. Seeking foreign help for regime change in a democratic setting is wrong,” he stated.
Responding shortly afterwards, Atiku’s media adviser, Paul Ibe, defended the decision to engage a lobbying firm, insisting there was nothing unusual or illegal about the move.
“There’s nothing wrong with hiring a lobbyist, especially when you are confronted with a dictatorship,” Ibe said.
He also alleged that the Tinubu administration had previously spent public funds on lobbying efforts in the United States.
“Recall that six months ago, Tinubu splurged $9 million of Nigeria’s hard-earned money on a US lobby firm,” he claimed.
Ibe argued that Nigerians deserve full access to records relating to Tinubu’s past forfeiture of $460,000 to US authorities over alleged drug trafficking investigations.
“Do Nigerians deserve to know what is in the FBI and DOJ files about Tinubu? Yes. Nigerians are entitled to know everything about their President or a prospective President,” he said.
He challenged supporters of the President to allow the release of the documents if there was “nothing to hide.”
The exchange ended on a personal note after Ibe referenced what he described as an unresolved issue involving Shehu Sani during his time as chairman of a Senate ad hoc committee that investigated former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal.
The disagreement adds to the growing political debate over efforts by opposition figures to obtain and publicise US records relating to President Tinubu.
