Nigeria accuses Atiku of US lobbying against Tinubu

The Nigerian presidency has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of undermining national sovereignty by allegedly lobbying the United States government to investigate a decades-old civil case involving President Bola Tinubu. The allegation, issued in a statement on Thursday, July 23, 2026, by Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga, marks a significant escalation in political tensions ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to the presidency, lobbying groups associated with Atiku submitted petitions to U.S. President Donald Trump and members of Congress concerning a 1993 civil forfeiture case linked to Tinubu. The statement described this action as an attempt to "internationalise Nigeria’s domestic politics" and an "affront to Nigeria’s sovereignty." It insisted the three-decade-old matter was resolved with no criminal conviction or finding of guilt against Tinubu and has been further settled by his electoral victory in 2023 and the Supreme Court's affirmation of that result.

The presidency argued that taking domestic political disputes to a foreign government was inappropriate for an elder statesman and demonstrated a desperate quest for the presidency. It stated that while...