Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has called on the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to release records relating to its past investigations involving President Bola Tinubu.
Atiku made the demand in a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
His call follows the FBI’s request to submit confidential declarations to a US federal court explaining why it has withheld some of the records.
The FBI had told the court that publicly disclosing its full reasons could reveal law-enforcement methods and potentially endanger individuals connected to the investigation.
But Atiku rejected the argument, saying the FBI could protect sensitive information while releasing materials that can legally be made public.
He said he was not asking the agency to reveal the identities of undercover agents, confidential sources or investigative techniques.
“Protect your agents. Protect your sources. Protect legitimate investigative methods. Redact whatever American law genuinely requires you to redact,” Atiku said.
He argued that information about the records was of public interest because Tinubu is Nigeria’s President and Nigerians have a right to know relevant information about their leader.
Atiku also linked his demand to the economic hardship in Nigeria, particularly the impact of fuel subsidy removal on transportation, food prices, businesses and employment.
He maintained that Nigerians were already bearing the consequences of government policies and should not be denied access to information that could help them assess the leadership of the country.
The former vice president described the request as a democratic and humanitarian appeal rather than an attempt to interfere in Nigeria’s internal affairs.
“Protect your investigators. Protect your sources. Protect your methods. But do not protect the truth from Nigerians,” he said.
