No One Takes You Seriously – Presidency Fires Back At Atiku’s US Lobby Firm
The Presidency has dismissed allegations by a United States-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, that President Bola Tinubu’s administration influenced the Federal High Court judgment nullifying the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and affecting former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition.
Dada Olusegun, Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Social Media, described the firm’s allegations as baseless, accusing it of attempting to discredit the President while presenting Atiku in a favourable light ahead of the 2027 general election.
Olusegun was reacting to the firm’s warning that the court judgment and the reaction of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, could have serious political consequences for Tinubu.
In a lengthy post on X, the presidential aide accused the lobbying firm of deliberately misrepresenting Keyamo’s comments to suggest that the President and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had a role in the court decision.
“I’m sure this must be the most difficult job you’ve ever had. All your attempts to whitewash Atiku and tarnish the image of President Tinubu keep collapsing like a pack of cards.
“Consequently, you have resorted to grasping at anything you can find just to prove to your paymaster that you are working,” he said.
Olusegun maintained that neither Tinubu nor the APC influenced the legal proceedings that culminated in the judgment, insisting that Atiku was responsible for his current political predicament.
“This latest attempt to twist the statement of the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, and allege interference by President Tinubu and the APC in the judgment that nullified Atiku’s candidacy is both ludicrous and laughable.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the President and the ruling party had no hand in Atiku’s political and judicial ordeal. Atiku remains the architect of his own misfortune,” he added.
He further claimed that some supporters of the former Vice-President were disappointed by the court decision, arguing that they would have preferred Atiku to face Tinubu at the polls rather than be disqualified through a judicial process.
“In fact, many supporters are disappointed by the nullification of his candidacy, as an electoral defeat would have been preferred over a judicial disqualification.
“You can twist the facts or level any accusations you want, but the reality is that no one, either in Nigeria or in the United States, where you are contracted to work, takes your claims seriously,” Olusegun stated.
The presidential aide also advised the firm to secure its outstanding payment from Atiku before the January election, predicting that the former Vice-President would suffer a heavy defeat.
“My candid advice is to ensure you collect your full balance from Atiku before the January election, because he will have little reason to pay after a resounding defeat,” he added.
Politics Nigeria reports that the exchange followed a statement by Von Batten-Montague-York, which accused the Tinubu administration of celebrating a court decision that could affect the presidential ambition of its principal opposition figure.
The firm had reacted to a post by Keyamo concerning the judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
It alleged that the minister’s reaction amounted to an open celebration of a ruling that could eliminate Tinubu’s major political challenger ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The lobbying firm also disclosed plans to present Keyamo’s post to members of the administration of United States President Donald Trump and the US Congress.
“We are going to be presenting the @X post of @fkeyamo, President Tinubu’s Minister of Aviation, whose government portfolio has nothing to do with elections or electoral integrity, openly celebrating what a senior congressional staffer described as an ‘open display of election interference by the Nigerian government,’ to members of the @realDonaldTrump administration and Congress,” it said.
Von Batten-Montague-York subsequently warned that the development could mark a turning point in Tinubu’s political fortunes.
“We have a prediction for current Nigerian President Tinubu: In a few months, you are going to look at this court ruling and @fkeyamo’s post as the defining moment when the rope the United States has been giving you to figuratively hang yourself finally became the instrument of your own political downfall,” the firm stated.
The controversy stems from Thursday’s ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which nullified the leadership of the ADC led by former Senate President David Mark and invalidated actions taken by the faction on behalf of the party.
