A United States-based political advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has announced plans to intensify its campaign over allegations linking President Bola Tinubu to a decades-old drug trafficking case.
In a post on its verified X handle on Sunday, the firm said its next briefing to the administration of US President Donald Trump and members of Congress would focus on what it described as efforts by senior Nigerian government officials to defend President Tinubu.
The development comes amid an ongoing dispute over access to historical US government records relating to allegations surrounding Tinubu. The lobbying firm has previously said it is engaging members of Congress and senior congressional staff over the matter.
The firm also criticised Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, over his description of its campaign to obtain the alleged heroin-trafficking records as a “storm in a teacup” and “a journey to nowhere.”
Responding to Keyamo, the firm questioned why a cabinet-level Nigerian official would devote attention to a lobbying firm if its campaign was insignificant.
Von Batten-Montague-York further accused the Nigerian government of using state institutions to defend Tinubu against the allegations and described Nigeria under his administration as a “narco-state.” These are allegations and characterisations made by the lobbying firm and have not been established as facts.
The firm said its role was to build its case before the White House and Congress, increase public awareness in the United States and keep members of Congress focused on the allegations and Nigeria’s wider drug-trafficking challenges.
It also raised questions about the increasing presence of South American drug traffickers in Nigeria, asking whether the development was connected to the allegations surrounding Tinubu or driven by other factors.
The renewed campaign adds another layer to the controversy surrounding historical US records involving Tinubu. The matter has generated competing claims from the lobbying firm, Nigerian officials and political actors, with the Presidency maintaining that Tinubu is not facing a criminal prosecution in the United States.
The dispute has also attracted attention because the underlying US proceedings concern access to government records rather than a criminal trial against the Nigerian President. Tinubu has not been convicted of heroin trafficking in the United States.
Von Batten-Montague-York, however, said it would continue pressing the issue before US officials and lawmakers as it seeks greater attention to the allegations and the broader question of drug trafficking in Nigeria.
The latest move signals that the controversy is far from over, with the lobbying firm preparing to take its claims and concerns directly to Washington as scrutiny of the issue continues.
