‘It can be charged as felony’ – Mike Arnold accuses Tinubu, DCI Group of violating US law

A former Mayor of Blanco, Texas, United States, Mike Arnold, has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu and Washington-based lobbying firm, DCI Group of allegedly violating laws in the United States and Nigeria.

Arnold, in a Facebook post on Monday, alleged that the Nigerian government was paying DCI Group $750,000 monthly under a contract filed with the US Department of Justice.

According to him, the contract was specifically aimed at communicating to US authorities and policymakers that the Nigerian government was protecting Christian communities and combating jihadist groups.

However, Arnold accused the lobbying firm of deviating from the terms of its engagement by allegedly launching social media attacks against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, a potential opponent of Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

He cited a series of posts allegedly made by the firm questioning Atiku’s ability to obtain a US visa and mocking the former vice president over his travel documents.

Arnold argued that such activities were unrelated to DCI Group’s declared mandate of promoting Nigeria’s efforts against terrorism and protecting religious communities.

He contrasted the arrangement with Atiku’s reported engagement of a separate Washington lobbying firm for $1.2 million, noting that the firm’s registration documents reportedly stated that it was working on behalf of the former vice president and against the Nigerian government.

According to Arnold, DCI Group’s activities could raise questions under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), particularly if political activities carried out on behalf of a foreign principal were not properly disclosed.

“In the United States, leaving political work off a FARA filing is not a typo. It can be charged as a felony if they did it on purpose,” Arnold said.

He also alleged that the use of public funds to finance activities targeting a political opponent could violate provisions of Nigeria’s Electoral Act prohibiting the use of state resources to support or undermine political candidates.

Arnold said the contract between the Nigerian government and DCI Group, as well as the firm’s public statements, were available for scrutiny.

He called on relevant law enforcement agencies in both countries to investigate the matter.