BY AHMED AKANBI
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to respond to questions over alleged US court records and a multimillion-dollar lobbying deal instead of resorting to personal attacks.
Atiku, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the Presidency had failed to address the substantive issues raised concerning historical US documents and lobbying activities.
The statement was a response to comments by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, over Atiku’s engagement of a Washington-based lobbying firm.
Shaibu accused the Presidency of trying to divert attention by focusing on the personal history of Karl Von Batten, rather than answering questions on the records.
According to him, Atiku’s reported $1.2 million engagement with Von Batten-Montague-York voluntarily registered with the US Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, FARA.
He said the registration clearly disclosed the nature, duration and financial terms of the engagement.
“You cannot expose what was publicly disclosed. President Tinubu should stop chasing the messenger and answer the questions raised by the records,” Shaibu said.
The Atiku camp specifically asked why Tinubu’s name featured in what it described as a historical US federal investigation involving narcotics and money laundering allegations, and a civil forfeiture proceeding involving $460,000
“These are not documents written by Atiku Abubakar. They were not manufactured by Karl Von Batten. They form part of an American judicial record,” Shaibu stated.
“Let us also be precise. A civil forfeiture is not a criminal conviction, and we have never said otherwise. But President Tinubu cannot abuse, mock or distract a court record out of existence.”
Shaibu also questioned the Tinubu administration’s own lobbying arrangements in the US. He alleged the Federal Government engaged DCI Group through Aster Legal in a deal valued at $750,000 monthly, or $4.5 million.for six months, with provisions that could take it to $9 million.
“When you spend millions lobbying Washington, it is diplomacy. When Atiku spends $1.2 million over an entire year, it becomes desperation,” he said.
“If Atiku’s $1.2 million is evidence of desperation, what exactly should Nigerians call your own arrangement capable of reaching $9 million?”
He insisted both government and private citizens are entitled to hire lobbyists, but accused the Presidency of double standards in attacking Atiku while allegedly spending more.
Shaibu dismissed attacks on Von Batten’s background as a distraction. “The $460,000 forfeiture record will still be there. The multimillion-dollar lobbying arrangement will still be there. That is the problem with documents: they do not respond to insults,” he added.
Turning to the economy, the former VP’s aide said Nigerians are more concerned about rising food prices, transport fares, electricity costs and the declining value of the naira.
“Nigerians want to know why food is expensive, why transportation is expensive, why electricity is expensive, why the naira buys less and why millions of families are struggling to survive,” Shaibu said.
“They cannot eat presidential press releases. They cannot fuel their cars with insults. They cannot pay school fees with investigations into another man’s family tree.”
Atiku said he was ready to debate Tinubu on government performance and the state of the economy, listing food prices, transport, electricity, insecurity and purchasing power as key issues.
“President Tinubu, before counting Atiku’s $1.2 million, account for your own $9 million arrangement. And before attacking the messenger, answer the $460,000 question. The rest is noise,” the statement concluded.