Nigeria: We Were Offered $3m to Stop Campaign Against Tinubu - Atiku-Linked U.S. Lobbying Firm

What the report says

A U.S.-based policy advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has alleged that its founder, Dr. Karl Von Batten, was offered $3 million and invited to a confidential meeting in London in an apparent attempt to halt the firm’s campaign over allegations involving President Bola Tinubu. The claim was posted on the firm’s X account and reported by Vanguard via AllAfrica, with the firm saying the offer came from a highly placed individual it was told was connected to Tinubu.

The firm said Von Batten rejected the offer, preserved the communications, and later contacted members of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s campaign to verify the intermediary’s alleged ties. It also said it planned to submit the matter to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The firm’s broader campaign concerns allegations it has raised about Tinubu; however, those underlying claims remain unverified in the report.

The Presidency swiftly pushed back. Sunday Dare, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, dismissed the allegations as political speculation and challenged the firm to produce evidence. He also said public U.S. filings under the Foreign Agents Registration Act indicate Atiku retained the firm on a $1.2 million, 12-month contract. The dispute adds to the ongoing political tensions around Tinubu, Atiku and the role of foreign lobbying in Nigeria’s domestic politics, especially ahead of the 2027 election cycle.