Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has declared that President Bola Tinubu should step down if upcoming U.S. documents tied to past drug investigations reveal damaging details.
Atiku made the statement while responding to a U.S. court ruling ordering federal agencies to release confidential files on Tinubu, connected to a 1990s drug trafficking probe.
The judgment, delivered by Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, said the withholding of the records was not justifiable.
According to Howell, “Any privacy interests implicated by the FOIA requests to the FBI and DEA for records about Tinubu are overcome by the public interest in the release of such information.”
She further noted, “They have failed to meet their burden to sustain their Glomar responses and provide an additional reason why these responses must be lifted.”
Atiku, through his spokesperson Paul Ibe, said, “Anyone occupying the Presidency must not be of tainted character.”
He insisted that the documents, once released, could clarify long-standing concerns surrounding Tinubu’s alleged drug-related forfeiture and his academic history.
“The efforts of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar will not be in vain,” Ibe stated.
“What will be uncovered is His Excellency’s attempt to ascertain exactly what transpired the circumstances surrounding the forfeiture of thousands of dollars allegedly linked to drug trafficking and the issue concerning the Chicago State University certificate.”
Atiku added, “The government must ensure full disclosure. It is important. Nigerians need to know the background, academic records, age, state of origin, and the schools the leader attended.”
He emphasized the global importance of transparency in Nigeria’s leadership, saying, “This is the foremost Black nation in the world the most populous.
“And so, we mean something to people around the world, especially the global Black community.”
However, as initially reported by AFRIPOST, the Presidency has downplayed the court’s order.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, claimed the information is already known.
“There is nothing new to be revealed,” he said, adding that “the report by Agent Moss of the FBI and the DEA has been in the public space for more than 30 years. The reports did not indict the Nigerian leader.”
He confirmed that legal teams are reviewing the court ruling but maintained that the documents “add no fresh dimension to Tinubu’s past.”