A fresh war of words has erupted between the media aides of President Bola Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over the millions of dollars reportedly spent by both camps to engage lobbyists in the United States.
The latest salvo came from Phrank Shaibu, a senior aide to Mr Atiku, who accused the Tinubu administration of hypocrisy for criticising the former vice president’s engagement of a US lobbyist while allegedly maintaining a multimillion-dollar lobbying arrangement in Washington.
Mr Shaibu’s statement on Wednesday was a direct response to a recent intervention by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Sunday Dare, in which the presidential camp questioned the activities and background of US lobbyist Karl Von Batten-Montague-York, who was engaged by Mr Atiku.
The exchange has opened a new front in the growing political rivalry between the two camps ahead of the 2027 general election, with both sides trading accusations over money, political lobbying and the use of foreign influence.
Mr Shaibu dismissed Mr Dare’s intervention as an attempt to divert attention from questions surrounding US records involving President Tinubu.
“Sunday Dare’s latest epistle is not a rebuttal. It is a tantrum dressed in presidential grammar,” he said.
Rather than addressing the issues raised over Atiku’s engagement, Mr Shaibu accused the presidential camp of focusing on the personal background, marriage, ancestry and business history of Mr Von Batten.
“At this rate, perhaps their next press statement will tell Nigerians the colour of his socks and what he eats for breakfast,” he said.
The Atiku aide said the former vice president’s $1.2 million engagement with Von Batten-Montague-York had been voluntarily registered with the United States Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
He said the filing disclosed the nature, duration and compensation of the engagement, arguing that the transaction was therefore not a secret arrangement.
“You cannot expose what was publicly disclosed,” Mr Shaibu said.
But the controversy escalated as he challenged the Tinubu administration to account for its own alleged spending on Washington lobbying.
According to him, the Federal Government entered into a lobbying arrangement with DCI Group worth $750,000 monthly, amounting to $4.5 million for the first six months, with contractual provisions capable of taking the engagement to $9 million.
He said the arrangement was conducted through Aster Legal in connection with a senior federal security institution.
Mr Shaibu accused the Presidency of applying different standards to the two arrangements.
“Tinubu spends millions lobbying Washington: diplomacy.
“Atiku spends $1.2 million lobbying Washington: desperation.
“What magnificent hypocrisy,” he said.
The former vice president’s aide argued that there was nothing inherently wrong with either the government or opposition politicians engaging lobbyists in Washington.
“His principal is entitled to engage lobbyists, and Atiku is equally entitled to engage lobbyists. Washington does not belong to the Nigerian Presidency,” he said.
