The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of resorting to foreign lobbying and what he described as “political speculation” in an attempt to gain advantage ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Dare, in a statement titled “Peddling Political Speculation as Classified Information: Atiku’s $1.2 Million Washington Lobbying Gamble Exposed,” alleged that the former vice president had contracted a Washington-based lobbying firm for a $1.2 million, 12-month retainer.
He said the arrangement was confirmed by publicly available filings under the United States Department of Justice’s Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), alleging that the lobbying engagement was being used to “counterbalance” the Nigerian government’s narratives and exploit historical US judicial records for political purposes.
According to Dare, recent reports attributed to Dr Karl-Marx Edward Okeke-Von Batten should not be interpreted as representing the position of the US government or the administration of President Donald Trump.
“The coordinated media blitz orchestrated around a Washington, D.C. advisory firm is not an intelligence breakthrough; it is a clinical demonstration of desperation,” Dare said.
He described the reports as “political speculation packaged as classified information,” challenging those behind the allegations to produce the purported classified intelligence documents and identify their sources.
Dare also questioned the professional credentials of Okeke-Von Batten, whom he described as a commercial lobbyist and founder of Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C.
He alleged that presenting a commercial lobbyist as an objective geopolitical authority amounted to an attempt to mislead Nigerians about the nature of the claims being circulated.
“Dr. Karl Von Batten’s comments represent solely the position of an individual associated with Atiku-linked political interests, not the U.S. government or President Trump,” he said.
The presidential aide further dismissed any connection between President Bola Tinubu’s foreign trip and ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) proceedings in the United States concerning historical records.
Dare said Tinubu was on a previously scheduled annual leave and maintained that there was “absolutely no connection” between the president’s European trip and the US court proceedings.
He also cited recent comments by Wole Afolabi, SAN, on Channels Television concerning FOIA requests for historical records held by US federal agencies.
According to Dare, Afolabi explained that efforts to withhold portions of the records were based on US legal provisions protecting confidential investigative processes and did not amount to an attempt to shield the Nigerian president from incriminating information.
Dare argued that if Tinubu had been criminally liable under US law during previous investigations, American authorities would have prosecuted him at the time.
The presidential aide subsequently shifted his criticism to the opposition’s preparations for the 2027 elections, accusing its political actors of lacking a coherent policy alternative to the Tinubu administration.
He alleged that the opposition had failed to present “noble economic blueprints” or credible alternatives on issues such as economic reforms, infrastructure, agriculture and industrial development.
Dare also criticised what he described as the opposition’s changing position on major economic reforms, particularly fuel subsidy removal, accusing its political leaders of embracing populist positions after previously supporting or accepting the reforms.
He said the Tinubu administration remained focused on fiscal reforms, infrastructure development and institutional security reforms, arguing that Nigerians would ultimately judge political parties and candidates on their domestic performance and policy proposals.
“True democratic validation is earned through the ballot box and tangible service delivery to the citizens at home, not through manufactured headlines bought and paid for in foreign currency,” Dare said.
He maintained that the 2027 election would be determined by Nigerians and not by foreign lobbyists or political messaging generated outside the country.
The presidential aide urged US judicial and law enforcement authorities to continue carrying out their statutory responsibilities without political interference.
He concluded that political leadership, in his view, should be built around domestic accountability, economic planning, national development and service delivery rather than foreign lobbying and media campaigns.
