Bayo Onanuga, the media aide to President Bola Tinubu, has alleged that there is a fresh push to compel the United States Government to release the dossier on the president.

Mr Onanuga, in a statement he posted on his verified X account on Saturday, claimed that Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, candidates of the PDP and Labour Party (LP) in the February presidential election, are behind the push to compel the FBI to release documents on Mr Tinubu’s 1993 forfeiture case.

He stated that the duo are pushing for the FBI to release the document so as to use it in the appeal challenging the judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) affirming Mr Tinubu’s election.

Messrs Atiku and Obi are challenging the ruling of the PEPC at the Supreme Court.

Background

Mr Tinubu was declared the winner of the 25 February presidential election. However, Atiku and Mr Obi disputed the outcome of the election, citing irregularities and eligibility issues.

 

In separate petitions at the presidential tribunal, Mr Tinubu’s academic records and the forfeiture of $460,000 formed the major grounds of the litigation.

According to the certified copy of the case, on 10 January 1992, Magistrate Judge Rosemond of the Northern District of Illinois granted the prayer for the seizure of funds in 10 bank accounts belonging to Mr Tinubu because the US government had reasons to believe the accounts were linked to narcotic related operations.

However, the US authorities and Mr Tinubu later reached a settlement leading to the forfeiture of $460,000, while the US released over $900,000 to him.

Earlier this month, Atiku’s legal team got the Chicago State University (CSU) to release the academic record of Mr Tinubu. The former vice president has asked the Supreme Court to allow him to include the findings as part of his appeal.

The Supreme Court has scheduled Monday to hear the appeals. In Mr Obi’s appeal at the Supreme Court, his lawyer, Livy Uzoukwu, filed 51 grounds in challenging the presidential election court’s judgement.

In his appeal, Atiku’s lead lawyer, Chris Uche, anchored the suit on 35 grounds.

Onanuga’s statement

In his statement, Mr Onanuga alleged that the main opposition candidates are working with one Aaron Greenspan, who has approached a court in Washington DC, asking the court to compel the FBI to release all the documents on Mr Tinubu.

Mr Onanuga said the FBI had earlier agreed to release the documents to Mr Greenspan at the end of October, however, the American is using the notice of the Supreme Court in Nigeria to ask the US Court to grant an emergency motion on the case, he said.

“On Thursday, Peter Obi forwarded to Greenspan, the Supreme Court notice of hearing for the appeal that will begin on Monday 23 October.

“We do not know the brief Obi gave Greenspan, but Greenspan rushed to the District Court in the US capital, with an emergency motion asking the court to compel the FBI to produce documents on our President immediately. The FBI had earlier agreed to produce the documents at the end of October,” he said.

The presidential aide also claimed that Mr Greenspan misled the US Court that the setting up of the Supreme Court panel was a “sudden decision” to prevent the admission of the FBI files.

Mr Onanuga claimed that the FBI files are not relevant in the ongoing case in Nigeria

The presidential aide accused the American of making false allegations against the judiciary. “He claimed the Supreme Court hearing date which he labelled as sudden, was intended to front-run the release of the FBI documents. To him, the FBI documents are relevant to the case in Nigeria.

“After reading Greenspan’s motion, one is left with the impression that the guy is very ignorant of our laws and our democracy and he is nothing but an interloper, in a matter clearly outside US jurisdiction,” he said.

Mr Onanuga urged all sides to wait for the outcome of the case in the US before declaring any victory.