Atiku Urges FBI to Release Tinubu Records for 2027 Election

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress for Nigeria's 2027 election, has called on the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation to release, where legally permissible, records relating to President Bola Tinubu. In a statement issued on August 22, 2026, Atiku argued that Nigerians have a democratic right to information about the history and character of the man seeking to retain the country's highest elective office.

The appeal comes in response to a recent legal filing by the FBI. According to court documents, the agency filed a motion on August 20 seeking to submit ex parte in camera declarations to a U.S. district court in Columbia. The FBI stated it cannot publicly explain all the reasons for withholding certain investigative records related to allegations of drug trafficking against President Tinubu, hence the need for a confidential submission. The agency has argued that the disclosure of some records could pose a danger to lives.

Atiku, a former vice president, directly challenged this justification. "The FBI says disclosure could endanger lives. Which lives? Nigerians are already dying," the statement read. He accused the...