Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly condemned the attempted assassination of United States President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, delivering his message through the Washington lobbying firm he recently hired for $1.2m to manage his political interests in America.
On the evening of April 25, shots were fired near the main security screening area of the Washington Hilton in Washington DC, where the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner was being held.
President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and members of the Cabinet were in attendance. Security personnel shot at the suspect after he forced his way through a checkpoint just outside the hotel ballroom.
Trump later described the incident as an attack by a would-be assassin. U.S. authorities believe the gunman was targeting Trump and members of his administration, according to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
One law enforcement officer was shot but was protected by a bulletproof vest. The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, California, was arrested at the scene and faces federal charges.
Atiku’s message condemning the attack was posted on Monday by Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., the Washington firm he engaged in March 2026 under a $1.2m contract registered with the US Department of Justice. In the statement, Atiku described the shooting as an attack not just on an individual but on the foundations of democracy itself, praised the security personnel whose swift response prevented further harm, and called for unity and an unwavering commitment to democratic values. He said his thoughts were with Trump, his family and all those affected.
The lobbying firm was engaged to boost Atiku’s reputational standing in U.S. policy circles and counter narratives linked to the Nigerian government. One of the contract’s stated objectives is to counterbalance the Nigerian government’s lobbying narratives in the United States while advancing understanding of Atiku’s leadership posture and policy vision among American policymakers.
The firm is also tasked with facilitating meetings between the former vice president and U.S. government officials, including members of Congress, alongside advisory services on policy positioning. The contract runs for 12 months and is payable in six instalments.
The Correspondents’ Dinner shooting is the third known attempt on Trump’s life. The first occurred in July 2024 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a gunman reached a rooftop overlooking the stage and fired, wounding Trump in the ear and killing a spectator before being shot dead. The second took place in September 2024 near his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, where an armed man lay in wait but was spotted by Secret Service before firing a shot.
Atiku’s intervention is his latest public engagement with the Trump administration through his lobbying arrangement.
