Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to explain the circumstances surrounding the $460,000 forfeiture linked to him in the United States, rather than shifting attention to the lobbyist engaged to represent his interests in Washington.

Atiku made the call through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, in a statement released on Wednesday. The statement was a response to remarks by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare.

Dare had faulted Atiku’s engagement of US lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York, cautioning against presenting its managing partner, Karl Von Batten, as having direct access to US President Donald Trump or the capacity to influence ongoing court cases.

Shaibu, however, accused the Presidency of attempting to deflect attention from issues contained in US judicial records by focusing on the background and operations of Atiku’s lobbyist.

He noted that Atiku engaged the lobbying firm in March under a $1.2 million contract with the objective of protecting and strengthening his reputation in the United States.

According to documents filed by the firm with the US Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, part of its mandate was to counter narratives allegedly being promoted by the Nigerian government in the US. The firm also disclosed in July that it had begun presenting Department of Justice records concerning allegations of drug trafficking involving Tinubu to members of the Trump administration, Congress, and senior congressional staff.

Shaibu insisted that Atiku’s engagement with the lobbying firm was duly registered with the US Department of Justice and was not a secret attempt to influence the American government. He challenged President Tinubu to explain why his name featured in historical US federal records relating to narcotics and money laundering, as well as the circumstances behind a US District Court order forfeiting $460,000 held in an account bearing his name.

“These are not documents written by Atiku Abubakar. They were not manufactured by Karl Von Batten. They form part of an American judicial record,” Shaibu said. He admitted that civil forfeiture does not amount to a criminal conviction, but maintained that the existence of the judicial record is still a legitimate issue that deserves public clarification.

Shaibu accused the Tinubu administration of double standards over its criticism of Atiku’s $1.2 million lobbying contract, alleging that the Federal Government had itself engaged DCI Group in a deal worth $750,000 monthly, amounting to $4.5 million for the first six months and potentially reaching $9 million. He argued that both Tinubu and Atiku have the right to hire lobbyists and questioned why Atiku’s engagement was being described as an act of desperation.

According to him, attention should instead be focused on the economic hardship facing Nigerians, including rising food and transport costs, electricity bills, insecurity, and dwindling purchasing power. He challenged the President to account for the alleged multimillion-dollar lobbying deal before attacking Atiku’s decision, saying, “President Tinubu, before counting Atiku’s $1.2 million, account for your own $9 million arrangement. And before attacking the messenger, answer the $460,000 question.”