A Washington-based lobbying firm engaged by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has provided an update on the long-running legal battle over the release of US government records concerning President Bola Tinubu, Nigerian Tribune reports.
The lobbyists, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., said they had reviewed documents provided by the United States government and alleged that Tinubu personally intervened in the federal case to oppose the disclosure of records concerning him.
In a statement on Sunday, the firm said Tinubu and his associates had claimed that the records had not been released because the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were seeking to protect investigative methods and lives.
However, the lobbyists disputed that explanation, citing an October 23, 2023, motion Tinubu filed in the case.
According to the firm, Tinubu argued in the motion that the records contained private financial and law-enforcement information and invoked provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and privacy protections.
The lobbyists further claimed that Tinubu argued that the DOJ, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) were not adequately protecting his privacy interests in the case.
They said Tinubu subsequently asked the court for 30 days to consult with the federal agencies over the records they intended to produce and release publicly.
The firm said the court granted Tinubu’s request to intervene in the case on November 27, 2023.
It further alleged that the intervention marked a turning point in the case, claiming that the Biden administration subsequently moved from delaying the release of the records to blocking their disclosure.
The lobbyists described Tinubu’s intervention as evidence that the President actively sought to participate in proceedings concerning the release of the records.
The firm, however, did not provide in the statement an independent court finding establishing that Tinubu’s intervention directly caused the alleged blocking of the records
