Atiku’s Aide Fires Back At Shehu Sani Over US Lobbying Row

Media adviser to former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, has disagreed with former Kaduna Central senator Shehu Sani over his submission on his principal’s decision to hire a United States lobbying firm to push for the release of documents relating to President Bola Tinubu’s alleged drug trafficking case.

NEWSNGR reports that Sani, in a post on 𝕏, had berated Atiku over the move, arguing that it was unpatriotic and capable of damaging Nigeria’s international standing.

“Engaging US lobby groups to criminalise the President and his administration and curry favour from the US Government is unconscionable and unpatriotic,” he wrote.

According to the former lawmaker, such actions could expose Nigeria to diplomatic consequences without achieving their intended objective.

Responding on 𝕏, Ibe argued that there is absolutely nothing wrong with hiring a lobbyist.

“There’s nothing wrong with hiring a lobbyist, especially when you are confronted with a dictatorship,” he wrote.

Ibe also alleged that the Tinubu administration had previously spent public funds on lobbying in the United States.

“Recall that six months ago, Tinubu splurged $9 million of Nigeria’s hard-earned money on a US lobby firm,” he said.

Atiku’s aide argued that the real issue was Tinubu’s past forfeiture of $460,000 to US authorities over alleged drug trafficking, insisting Nigerians had a right to know the contents of the FBI and DOJ records.

“Do Nigerians deserve to know what is in the FBI and DOJ files about Tinubu? Yes. Nigerians are entitled to know everything about their President or a prospective President,” Ibe said.