Atiku’s US Lobbying Firm Claims Bribe Attempt to Kill Tinubu Records Campaign, Presidency Dismisses ‘Cheap Smear’

A United States-based lobbying and public affairs firm retained by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has alleged that its founder was offered a $3 million inducement in an attempt to stop its advocacy campaign calling for the release of American security records concerning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The Washington DC-based firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, claimed in a public disclosure that its principal, Dr. Karl Von Batten, received the unsolicited financial offer alongside an invitation to a confidential meeting in London from an individual reportedly linked to the Nigerian presidency. According to the company, the proposed payout was intended to persuade the firm to discontinue its ongoing push urging US law enforcement bodies—notably the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)—to unseal historical investigation files involving President Tinubu.

The consulting group maintained that its founder turned down the offer, documented all correspondence and digital footprints, and submitted the records to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI for formal review. The firm stated that it also contacted senior strategists within the campaign organization of Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), to establish the exact relationship between the intermediary and the Nigerian leader. It further claimed that a targeted smear campaign was initiated against Dr. Von Batten shortly after the overture was rebuffed.

Official filings under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) confirm that Von Batten-Montague-York is under a 12-month contractual engagement with Atiku valued at $1.2 million to provide strategic communications and legislative liaison services in the United States.

The Presidency has dismissed the claims, characterizing the entire narrative as an unverified political stunt designed to sway overseas perception.

Reacting to the allegations, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, described the story as cheap political speculation disguised as high-level intelligence. Dare noted that the firm is a commercial entity on the payroll of an opposition candidate seeking to undermine the administration ahead of the 2027 general elections. Stressing that the claims lack independent substantiation, the presidency maintained that the allegations are part of an ongoing smear campaign intended to distract the public from national governance.

The development adds fresh tension to the protracted cross-border legal and political disputes over historical US filings, underscoring how international public relations and lobbying continue to serve as key battlegrounds between the ruling party and opposition camps.