A decades-old United States investigation involving Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has returned to the spotlight after a Washington lobbying firm engaged by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar circulated U.S. government records concerning the case to officials in the Trump administration and members of Congress.

Von Batten-Montague-York, a U.S. lobbying firm working for Atiku, has been pushing for the release of records relating to a long-running Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) battle over documents held by U.S. law-enforcement agencies.

The firm said it had distributed more than 60 pages of Department of Justice documents and related court materials concerning a 1993 civil forfeiture proceeding involving funds that U.S. authorities alleged were connected to narcotics proceeds.

The renewed controversy intensified after an FBI declaration filed in a U.S. federal court in August 2026 reportedly stated that records sought in the FOIA case were compiled during an FBI investigation involving multiple individuals suspected of drug-trafficking offences. The declaration also identified Tinubu as a subject of the investigation, according to excerpts published by the lobbying firm.

What do the records concern?

The documents relate to a U.S. investigation dating to the late 1980s and early 1990s and a subsequent civil forfeiture case filed in federal court in Chicago.

According to accounts of the records, U.S. authorities investigated financial transactions and alleged that certain funds deposited into U.S. bank accounts represented proceeds connected to narcotics trafficking or money laundering.

The 1993 case resulted in the forfeiture of some funds to the U.S. government. However, the proceeding was civil rather than a criminal prosecution, and Nigerian courts have previously noted that there was no established U.S. criminal conviction against Tinubu arising from the matter.

Lobbying campaign

Von Batten-Montague-York, which was reportedly retained by Atiku under a 12-month agreement worth about $1.2 million, has argued that U.S. authorities should release additional records connected to the investigation.

The firm has also urged U.S. agencies to disclose documents sought through FOIA requests filed by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan.

The campaign has placed the historical case back into the political spotlight at a particularly sensitive time, as Nigeria moves toward the 2027 presidential election.

Presidency rejects allegations

Tinubu’s administration has rejected the lobbying campaign as politically motivated.

The Nigerian Presidency said the lobbying firm’s activities were part of an effort to create controversy around the president ahead of the 2027 election, accusing it of presenting political claims as though they represented the official position of the U.S. government.

The controversy therefore centres on two separate issues: what the U.S. government records actually contain and whether their release establishes wrongdoing by Tinubu.

At present, the available documents and reporting establish that Tinubu was connected to a U.S. law-enforcement investigation and that funds associated with the historical case were subject to civil forfeiture proceedings. They do not, by themselves, establish that Tinubu was convicted of drug trafficking or that he committed a criminal offence.

With the FOIA litigation continuing, further records could provide additional information about the investigation and the U.S. government’s historical assessment of the case.

The post FBI Files Put Tinubu’s 1990s US Drug Investigation Back in Spotlight as Atiku-Linked Lobbyist Pushes for Records appeared first on Alpha News Nigeria.

Let’s rewind the tape. Not too long ago, Okonkwo was Peter Obi’s vocal spokesperson during the 2023 presidential campaign under the Labour Party. He spoke with passion about Obi’s vision, his integrity, and the need for a Southeast presidency after decades of marginalization. He threw himself into the fray, defending the “Obidient” movement with the zeal of a true believer. Nigerians listened. Many were inspired. But fast-forward to 2026, and the script has flipped dramatically. Okonkwo now accuses Obi of betrayal, indecisiveness, and even worse- alleging bribe-taking and shady dealings that have landed him in hot water with a hefty N5 billion defamation suit from his former principal.

“I stopped speaking for him because he lacks the decisiveness to lead,” Okonkwo declared on national television. He wanted Obi to “fight ferociously” for the mandate, to sacrifice more amid the post-election turmoil. Fair critique? Perhaps, if it came from a consistent voice. But coming from a man who has danced across party lines, it reeks of convenience. Obi, ever the calm operator, has challenged Okonkwo to spill all his “secrets” in court, even vowing to quit the 2027 race if proven unfit. The ball is in Okonkwo’s court, yet the drama continues.

Now, enter Atiku Abubakar, the man Okonkwo once roasted mercilessly. Throwback clips show Okonkwo eviscerating the former Vice President: accusing him of corruption, disloyalty, a “propensity for coded corruption,” and sacrificing national interest for personal gain. He painted Atiku as the embodiment of the old, tainted order. Yet here we are in 2026, with Okonkwo freshly appointed as Atiku’s spokesperson for the ADC’s 2027 push. Suddenly, Atiku is a “talent discoverer,” a man of vision who saw value in Okonkwo despite past barbs. “He looked beyond my criticisms,” Okonkwo gushes, contrasting Atiku’s magnanimity with Obi’s alleged betrayal.

Talk about selective amnesia! Atiku, to his credit, seems a pragmatic and vocal operator who brings media flair and Southeast outreach. But for observers, it’s a textbook case of political opportunism. Okonkwo himself has admitted using anti-Atiku rhetoric because “it was profitable” at the time. Now, the calculus has shifted. South-East marginalization remains his rallying cry- he even briefly withdrew support over Atiku’s VP choice- but the alliance holds, at least for now.

This double-faced dance isn’t new for Okonkwo. His political CV reads like a revolving door: dumping PDP, joining APC in 2018 (after criticizing Atiku), pushing for Southeast interests within Buhari’s party, then jumping to Labour with Obi, and now ADC. Each switch comes packaged with righteous indignation, as if this time it’s different, this time it’s pure. He blasts the Tinubu presidency and APC with gusto- labeling it a “government of catastrophe,” decrying insecurity, economic hardship, fuel prices, and leadership incapacity. “Tinubu is gone” if the opposition unites, he thunders. Harsh words from someone who once aligned with the party.

One can’t help but chuckle at the consistency of inconsistency. In a country starving for principled leadership, Okonkwo embodies the very cynicism many decry: politics as performance, loyalty as transaction, principles as props. His Nollywood background serves him well- delivering lines with conviction, switching roles seamlessly. But voters aren’t an audience buying tickets; they’re living the consequences of these flip-flops.

Critics from the South-East Revival Group and others rightly question which Okonkwo to believe: the passionate Obi endorser or the fierce detractor? The Atiku-basher or the loyal spokesman? Both can’t be true, they argue. Exactly. This chameleon act erodes trust in the political class. It fuels apathy among the youth who once saw Obi as a break from the script.

As 2027 looms, Nigerians deserve better than actors playing multiple parts. We need leaders with spines, not weather vanes. Kenneth Okonkwo’s saga is entertaining, no doubt- a real-life drama of ambition, grudges, and reversals. But it’s also a cautionary tale: in the end, the chameleon might change colours, but the tree it clings to remains the same old political forest. Will Nigerians fall for the latest act? Or demand a new script altogether?

By Chigozie Nnuriam

The post The Chameleon of Nollywood Politics: Kenneth Okonkwo’s Masterclass in Political Gymnastics appeared first on Alpha News Nigeria.