The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Dr. Sunday Dare, has described the media campaign emanating from Washington, D.C., over alleged U.S. intelligence reports concerning Nigeria as a politically motivated effort designed to undermine the Tinubu administration ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Dare said the controversy surrounding a Washington-based advisory and lobbying firm allegedly engaged by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar amounted to an attempt to manufacture an international scandal where there was no credible evidence.
In a statement made available to The News Chronicle, Dare argued that the claims being circulated were based largely on political speculation, anonymous sources and references to historical legal proceedings, rather than verifiable intelligence documents or official statements from the United States Government.
He said the reports had not produced any authentic classified intelligence document, named U.S. government official or tangible evidence linking President Tinubu to any alleged exchange involving Nigeria’s classified information or national resources.
According to him, the claims should therefore be treated with caution until those behind them provide verifiable evidence to substantiate their allegations.
Dare also questioned the role of Dr. Karl-Marx Edward Okeke-Von Batten, whom he described as a U.S.-based commercial lobbyist and founder of Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C.
He cited publicly available filings under the United States Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which he said showed that Atiku had contracted the Washington-based firm under a $1.2 million, 12-month retainer.
Dare argued that the commercial nature of the engagement raised questions about attempts to portray statements issued by the lobbyist as though they represented the official position of the U.S. Government.
He said, “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.”
The presidential aide further dismissed suggestions that President Tinubu’s current trip to Europe was connected to ongoing legal proceedings in the United States.
According to Dare, Tinubu is on a previously scheduled annual leave and there is no established connection between the President’s trip and ongoing Freedom of Information Act proceedings in the U.S.
He maintained that the American court proceedings should be allowed to run their course without being turned into political ammunition in Nigeria.
Dare also referred to recent public discussions on the FOIA proceedings, including comments by Wole Afolabi, SAN, on Channels Television, arguing that the withholding of certain records could be linked to established U.S. legal provisions protecting confidential investigative techniques and sources.
He questioned why the President would have escaped prosecution if American authorities had, at the relevant time, established sufficient evidence of criminal liability against him.
“Competent jurisdictions and independent regulatory frameworks operate on facts, due process and established jurisprudence—not on recycled press releases of political mercenaries conducting judicial safaris from foreign capitals,” Dare said.
The presidential aide accused the opposition of using the controversy to divert attention from what he described as the absence of a coherent policy alternative ahead of the 2027 elections.
He argued that Nigerians should be presented with concrete proposals on economic growth, job creation, agriculture, infrastructure, security, healthcare and education rather than campaigns centred on historical legal records and allegations emanating from foreign capitals.
Dare also criticised the opposition’s position on the removal of fuel subsidy, describing it as inconsistent with its earlier opposition to the policy and its failure, in his view, to present a credible alternative to the government’s economic reforms.
He said the 2027 political contest should ultimately be determined by the Nigerian electorate based on competing policy programmes, governance records and the ability of candidates to address the country’s challenges.
“No foreign consultant, lobbyist or Washington-based media campaign can determine who governs Nigeria in 2027. That decision belongs exclusively to Nigerian voters,” he said.
Dare maintained that the Tinubu administration would ultimately be judged by its record in economic reforms, infrastructure, security and institutional development, just as opposition parties would be judged by the alternatives they present to Nigerians.
He urged the American judiciary and law-enforcement agencies to continue handling their proceedings independently, without partisan interference, while calling on Nigerians to scrutinise claims made in the political arena and demand verifiable evidence.
“The democratic test is simple: present a credible programme, defend it before Nigerians and seek their mandate at the ballot box,” Dare said.
