Atiku fires back at Tinubu as China remark reignites US forfeiture scandal
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has rejected fresh criticism from the Presidency over his efforts to revive international attention on President Bola Tinubu's decades-old US civil forfeiture case, describing the government's latest response as counterproductive and urging it to focus on Nigeria's pressing challenges.
The latest exchange follows a statement by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, who accused Atiku of attempting to internationalise Nigeria's domestic politics by engaging a Washington-based lobbying firm to circulate documents relating to Tinubu's 1993 US civil forfeiture proceedings to members of the administration of US President Donald Trump, the US Congress and other American officials.
The Presidency argued that the move undermined Nigeria's sovereignty and maintained that the forfeiture case had long been settled, stressing that Tinubu was never criminally convicted in connection with the proceedings.
Onanuga also criticised the former vice president's continued focus on the matter, saying that "if Atiku were Chinese, he would be rotting away in jail", while accusing him of pursuing his long-standing presidential ambition through foreign lobbying rather than presenting policy alternatives to Nigerians.
Responding in a statement issued on Saturday through his spokesman, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the Presidency's reference to China's legal system had instead revived scrutiny of Tinubu's record.
He argued that invoking China's justice system inevitably invited comparisons with the country's strict penalties for narcotics-related offences and standards of public accountability.
"Perhaps the spokesman did not realise that the maximum penalty under Chinese law for the most serious drug trafficking offences is death," the statement said.
Atiku also insisted that he had never been indicted or convicted of corruption, narcotics offences or any other criminal offence either in Nigeria or abroad, describing this as a matter of public record.
Feud Deepens Ahead of 2027
The former vice president further renewed criticism of Tinubu over the long-running US civil forfeiture proceedings involving $460,000 allegedly linked to narcotics trafficking and money laundering. He argued that diplomatic correspondence between governments should not be interpreted as a judicial determination clearing the President of wrongdoing.
"The United States Government's reply to diplomatic correspondence is neither a court judgment nor a declaration of innocence," Atiku said.
Beyond the legal dispute, Atiku accused the Tinubu administration of failing to tackle Nigeria's economic and security challenges, arguing that the government should prioritise addressing rising hardship, insecurity and governance concerns rather than engaging in political exchanges.
"The Tinubu administration would do better to devote its dwindling political capital to confronting the economic hardship, rising hunger, insecurity and institutional decline afflicting Nigerians instead of manufacturing diversions," the statement added.
The latest confrontation marks a further escalation in the political rivalry between Tinubu and Atiku as attention increasingly shifts towards the 2027 general election.
While the Presidency maintains that the US civil forfeiture case has been conclusively resolved and accuses Atiku of attempting to revive a settled issue through overseas lobbying, the former vice president insists the matter remains one of legitimate public interest and accountability.
