Atiku urges Tinubu to explain $460k US forfeiture, calls lobbyist attacks diversion
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to address questions about its principal’s alleged $460,000 forfeiture in the United States, instead of attacking US-based lobbyer Karl Von Batten-Montague-York. Atiku made the appeal in a statement issued by his media team on Wednesday, September 1, 2026, saying that insulting the lobbyist’s name, researching his wife, or counting his clients would not make the forfeiture record disappear.
He described the focus on Von Batten as a diversionary tactic, insisting “We will stick to the records.” Atiku also pointed to his own $1.2 million lobbying engagement with the former vice president, challenging the Tinubu team to first account for their own reported $9 million arrangement before criticizing others. The exchange follows reports of a war of words between Tinubu’s allies and Von Batten, owner of the lobbying firm Batten-Montague-York.
The allegation of a $460,000 forfeiture remains unverified in the article, but Atiku’s statement keeps the issue in public discourse, pressing for transparency over personal attacks. For Nigerians watching the feud, the core question is whether the Tinubu administration will provide clear documentation to settle the forfeiture claim or continue deflecting with lobbyist controversies.
Will you demand that public officials produce verifiable records for such financial allegations, or do you see the lobbyist attacks as a legitimate part of political accountability?