US Lobby Firm Targets Tinubu, Calls Alleged Drug-Trafficking Claims ‘Liability’ Ahead of 2027 Poll
By OUR REPORTER
The firm said it had spent the day engaging with senior members of the Trump administration and Congress, claiming it delivered a message that allegations of heroin trafficking involving Tinubu constituted a “liability” to the United States and a potential threat to peace and stability in Nigeria and the wider region.
A United States-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., has intensified its criticism of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and members of Congress to pay closer attention to allegations concerning the Nigerian leader’s past in the United States.
In a statement posted on its social-media account, the firm said it had spent the day engaging with senior members of the Trump administration and Congress, claiming it delivered a message that allegations of heroin trafficking involving Tinubu constituted a “liability” to the United States and a potential threat to peace and stability in Nigeria and the wider region.
The firm wrote: “President Bola Tinubu’s alleged heroin trafficking is a liability to the United States and to the peace and stability of Nigeria and the region as a whole.”
Von Batten-Montague-York also drew a comparison between Tinubu and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, describing Atiku as a statesman and claiming that, unlike Tinubu, there was no U.S. government document accusing the former vice-president of drug trafficking or another crime.
The lobbying firm further invoked what it described as the values of Nigerians, saying they are “God-fearing people who value life and family” and portraying Atiku as an embodiment of those values.
Turning its attention to Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election, the firm urged Washington to ensure that the electoral process is free and fair.
It accused the previous Joe Biden administration of making mistakes that, in its assessment, contributed to military coups in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, warning that the United States could not afford to make similar mistakes in Nigeria.
“Nigeria is simply too important,” the firm declared.
It subsequently called on the United States to “do everything” to ensure that Tinubu could not allegedly rig the forthcoming presidential election, insisting that Nigerians deserved a free and fair vote.
The firm ended the statement with the slogan: “Hope is coming to Nigeria.”
The latest intervention adds to growing international attention surrounding Tinubu’s past U.S. records and the political implications of allegations relating to his years in the United States.
However, the allegations contained in the lobbying firm’s statement remain allegations as Tinubu has not been criminally convicted of heroin trafficking in connection with the longstanding U.S. civil forfeiture matter involving approximately $460,000.
The statement by Von Batten-Montague-York therefore represents the lobbying firm’s political position and appeal to U.S. policymakers, rather than an official determination by the Trump administration or the U.S. Congress that Tinubu committed a drug-trafficking offence.
