We were offered $3m to drop Tinubu records campaign — US firm

A US-based lobbying and policy advisory firm has alleged that an individual it was told was connected to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu offered its founder, Dr Karl Von Batten, $3 million and invited him to a confidential meeting in London in an alleged attempt to persuade the company to abandon its campaign for the release of US government records concerning the Nigerian president.

Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., made the allegation in a statement posted on its verified X account on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, saying the approach was made “a few days ago” by what it described as a “highly placed individual” whom the firm had been informed was connected to Tinubu.

According to the company, the alleged offer was accompanied by an invitation for Von Batten to attend a confidential meeting in London.

The firm said it believed the proposed payment was intended to persuade its founder to stop its campaign concerning what it describes as Tinubu’s alleged heroin-trafficking records arising from historical US investigations.

Von Batten-Montague-York said Von Batten rejected the alleged offer and preserved copies of the communications surrounding the approach.

The company further said that, following the rejection, its founder became the target of what it described as a smear campaign.

It added that Von Batten contacted members of the campaign of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to establish the nature of the alleged individual’s relationship with President Tinubu.

“We will be providing the $3m offer and related communications to our friends at the DOJ and FBI,” the company said, referring to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The firm did not name the person it alleged made the offer and has not publicly released the communications or other evidence supporting the claim. The alleged connection between the individual and President Tinubu has also not been independently established.

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The allegation comes at a particularly sensitive time, with the company intensifying its campaign for the disclosure of US government records relating to historical investigations involving Tinubu.

Von Batten-Montague-York has been pushing for the release of records held by the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) concerning Tinubu and a drug-trafficking investigation conducted in the United States in the early 1990s.

The records are at the centre of a long-running Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan against several US government agencies.

The case, Greenspan v. Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys et al., is pending before the US District Court for the District of Columbia under Civil Action No. 1:23-cv-01816.

Greenspan initially sought records from a number of US agencies, including the FBI, DEA, Internal Revenue Service, Department of State and the Executive Office for US Attorneys, concerning Tinubu.

The FBI and DEA initially issued what is known as a “Glomar response”, a legal position that allows an agency to refuse to confirm or deny whether responsive records exist where acknowledging their existence could itself cause harm protected under applicable law.

The court subsequently rejected the agencies’ broad reliance on that position and required them to address the records requests in accordance with the applicable FOIA framework.

The legal dispute has since continued over which records should be released and which portions may lawfully remain withheld or redacted under FOIA exemptions.

The latest phase of the dispute has coincided with a new FBI declaration filed in court on August 28, 2026.

According to excerpts circulated by Von Batten-Montague-York, the FBI said the responsive records were compiled in furtherance of an investigation involving multiple individuals and drug-trafficking crimes.

The lobbying firm has relied heavily on that declaration in arguing that claims that Tinubu was never the subject of a criminal investigation are contradicted by the contents of the FBI’s court filing.

However, the existence of an investigation or investigative records does not by itself establish that an individual committed a crime or was convicted of an offence.

The distinction has become particularly important in the political debate surrounding the records because Tinubu has not been convicted of heroin trafficking in the United States.

The historical dispute also involves a 1993 civil forfeiture proceeding concerning approximately $460,000 in funds linked to accounts associated with Tinubu.

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The forfeiture was a civil proceeding and did not result in a criminal conviction against Tinubu.

Tinubu has consistently denied wrongdoing in relation to the allegations surrounding his past in the United States.

His legal team has also intervened in the ongoing FOIA proceedings, asking the US court to prevent or limit the disclosure of records that they argue should remain protected under applicable US law.

In a recent filing, Tinubu’s lawyers opposed the release of additional records sought by Greenspan, arguing that the material should remain withheld or appropriately redacted.

The President’s legal position has added another layer to the dispute, which now involves not only the US government agencies holding the records but also Tinubu’s legal representatives and Greenspan, the FOIA requester.

The latest $3 million allegation has also become politically significant because Von Batten-Montague-York is not an independent investigative agency.

The firm has a formal relationship with Atiku Abubakar, who is now the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and one of Tinubu’s principal political opponents ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Documents filed under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) show that Atiku engaged Von Batten-Montague-York under a 12-month agreement worth $1.2 million.

The contract provides for strategic advisory and government-relations services in the United States, including engagement with members of Congress, congressional staff and executive-branch officials.

The agreement also covers policy positioning, reputational strategy, development of US-facing policy messages and efforts to counterbalance narratives advanced by the Nigerian government.

The contract was signed in March 2026 and subsequently registered with the US Department of Justice under the FARA framework.

The firm has since become increasingly vocal on issues involving Tinubu, the Nigerian government and US policy towards Nigeria.

In July, the company said it had begun distributing documents relating to the 1993 civil forfeiture proceedings involving Tinubu to officials associated with the US government and Congress.

The firm has also publicly discussed the ongoing FOIA litigation and the historical US investigation, making the issue an increasingly prominent part of the political contest surrounding Nigeria’s 2027 election.

The Nigerian presidency has, meanwhile, criticised Atiku’s use of the Washington lobbying firm, describing the campaign surrounding the US records as politically motivated.

Presidential spokespersons have pointed to the $1.2 million FARA-registered contract as evidence that the lobbying firm’s activities should be viewed within the context of Atiku’s political campaign and his opposition to Tinubu.

The latest allegation therefore adds a new dimension to an already contentious political and legal dispute.

If the firm submits the alleged communications concerning the $3 million offer to the FBI and Department of Justice as promised, US authorities would have the opportunity to examine the material and determine whether the approach occurred, who made it and whether there was any genuine connection to President Tinubu or his associates.

For now, however, the central allegation remains unverified.

The person who allegedly made the offer has not been identified publicly, the alleged communications have not been released, and there is no independent evidence currently available establishing that the individual was authorised to act on Tinubu’s behalf.

The claim of a subsequent smear campaign against Von Batten likewise remains an allegation by the firm.

The controversy comes just days after the FBI’s latest court filing revived attention on the historical investigation involving Tinubu and as the US court continues to determine what records should be released under the Freedom of Information Act.

It also comes at a politically sensitive period in Nigeria, with Atiku and other opposition figures seeking to challenge Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The dispute is consequently unfolding on two fronts: a US legal battle over access to government records and a Nigerian political contest over what those records could mean for Tinubu’s public image and electoral prospects.

For Von Batten-Montague-York, the alleged $3 million approach has become another reason to intensify its demand for disclosure.

For Tinubu’s camp, the lobbying firm’s financial relationship with Atiku provides important context for assessing its public campaign.

Until the alleged communications are made public and independently examined, however, the reported $3 million offer remains an allegation, rather than an established finding against President Tinubu or any person associated with him.

We were offered $3m to drop Tinubu records campaign — US firm