ABUJA, Nigeria — The Presidency has criticized former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over efforts to revive allegations relating to President Bola Tinubu’s decades-old U.S. civil forfeiture case, describing the move as politically motivated and ultimately self-defeating.
The response follows reports that Atiku sought to draw renewed international attention to documents connected with the forfeiture proceedings through a foreign lobbying firm, an action the Presidency said would neither influence Nigeria’s democratic process nor diminish the President’s mandate.
In a statement issued Thursday, Presidential Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Atiku’s campaign reflected desperation rather than a credible political alternative ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Onanuga argued that the former vice president’s record in public office did not justify his continued bid for the nation’s highest office, insisting that Nigerians would assess candidates based on their performance, integrity and vision for the country.
He also dismissed attempts to revive the long-settled U.S. forfeiture matter, maintaining that the issue had been extensively debated in previous election cycles and had not prevented Tinubu from being elected president.
The presidential spokesman further accused Atiku of relying on foreign interests to prosecute domestic political battles, stressing that Nigeria’s democratic choices would continue to be determined by its citizens rather than by external actors or lobbying groups.
According to him, no foreign government or institution has the authority to overturn the mandate freely given to President Tinubu through the electoral process.
Onanuga also took aim at Atiku’s political career, claiming that the former vice president’s public service record offers little basis for seeking another opportunity to lead the country.
In one of the statement’s strongest remarks, he suggested that if Atiku had been a public official in China, he would have faced severe legal consequences, using the comparison to question the former vice president’s record in government.
The Presidency maintained that President Tinubu remains focused on implementing his administration’s economic reforms, strengthening national security and pursuing development initiatives rather than engaging in prolonged political disputes.
The latest exchange marks another escalation in the war of words between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), as political rhetoric intensifies ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The renewed disagreement follows a series of public exchanges over historical allegations, governance, accountability and the role of foreign lobbying in Nigeria’s domestic politics, with both sides accusing each other of attempting to influence public opinion through competing narratives.
