Atiku’s US Lobbyists Say Someone Offered Them $3 Million to Stop Talking About Tinubu, and Nigerian Politics Has Entered Its Netflix Era

Nigerian politics has reached the point where you now need to follow the money in dollars, across continents, with a possible London meeting somewhere in the middle.

A US-based lobbying firm linked to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Von Batten-Montague-York, says its founder, Karl Von Batten, was allegedly offered $3 million and invited to a confidential meeting in London to stop its campaign concerning allegations about President Bola Tinubu’s historical US records. The firm says the offer came from a highly placed individual it was told was connected to Tinubu. It says Von Batten rejected the offer, preserved the communications and plans to submit them to the US Department of Justice and FBI.

Now, before Nigerians start calculating what ₦3 million can buy, please note that we are talking about $3 million.

That is the kind of money that makes you sit down properly before answering the phone.

The story becomes even more interesting because the firm is not some random American organisation that suddenly woke up one morning and developed an interest in Nigerian politics. Atiku reportedly hired Von Batten-Montague-York in March under a 12-month, $1.2 million lobbying contract to provide strategic advisory, engage US officials and manage his reputation in Washington.

So, effectively, one Nigerian politician is paying an American firm $1.2 million to talk about him in America, while that same firm is now saying somebody allegedly offered it $3 million to stop talking about another Nigerian politician.

At this point, Washington has become another constituency in the 2027 Nigerian election.

The Presidency, however, is not buying the story.

Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, dismissed the allegation as political speculation and questioned the firm's credibility. He also pointed to Atiku's $1.2 million retainer, arguing that the company's political connection should be taken into consideration when assessing its claims.

And that is where Nigerian politics becomes wonderfully complicated.

The firm says, “We were offered $3 million.”

The Presidency says, “Show us evidence.”

The firm says, “We kept the messages.”

The Presidency says, “You are being paid $1.2 million by Atiku.”

Meanwhile, Nigerians are watching all of this unfold like spectators at a very expensive family meeting.

The alleged offer has not been independently verified, and the identity of the person who supposedly made it, and their alleged connection to Tinubu, remains unproven. The allegations concerning Tinubu's historical US records are also disputed and should not be treated as established facts.