According to a report by Daily Post, on Thursday, July 23, 2026, retired American mental health counsellor Jeffrey Guterman expressed the view that the lobbying campaign reportedly initiated by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over President Bola Tinubu’s alleged past forfeiture case in the United States would not stop the Nigerian leader from securing victory in the 2027 presidential election.
Guterman shared his opinion in a post on his X account while reacting to reports that a Washington-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., hired by Atiku, had started circulating documents relating to Tinubu’s long-standing US forfeiture case to officials in the administration of President Donald Trump, members of the US Congress, and congressional staff. Watch Video Here ➜
According to information released by the lobbying firm, it has been distributing records obtained from the United States Department of Justice concerning allegations connected to a 1993 civil forfeiture proceeding involving funds allegedly linked to Tinubu.
Daily Post reported that Atiku reportedly entered into a 12-month lobbying agreement with the Washington-based firm in March.
The contract, said to be worth $1.2 million, was aimed at carrying out advocacy, diplomatic engagement, and presenting Atiku’s position on issues affecting relations between Nigeria and the United States.
Reacting to the development, Guterman insisted that the lobbying effort would have little or no effect on the outcome of Nigeria’s next presidential election.
The campaign was unlikely to change the political landscape ahead of the 2027 polls.
He said, “Let’s be honest with ourselves. The U.S. lobbying effort to reveal Nigeria President Tinubu’s drug trafficking will do nothing. He will probably win in 2027 due to propaganda news on Tinubu.
Earlier, one of Atiku’s media aides, Paul Ibe, had claimed that President Donald Trump had been informed about court documents relating to Tinubu’s past legal records in the United States.
Writing on X, Ibe alleged that a 60-page file from the US Department of Justice, containing details of alleged heroin trafficking and the forfeiture of $460,000, had been brought to the attention of the US President through the activities of the lobbying firm, Batten Von.
He argued that Nigerians had a right to know the complete facts surrounding the issue and maintained that making the documents available would promote transparency regarding the allegations.
Meanwhile, former federal lawmaker Shehu Sani faulted Atiku’s decision to engage a foreign lobbying organisation to circulate documents connected to Tinubu’s past forfeiture case in the United States.
Sani described the move as both unconscionable and unpatriotic, warning that such actions could have wider consequences for Nigeria’s image abroad.
According to him, inviting foreign lobby groups to campaign against Nigeria’s sitting President could damage the country’s international reputation, increase suspicion toward Nigerians globally, and even create the risk of sanctions or stricter visa measures being imposed on the country.
The former senator further maintained that any attempt to remove a government or bring about political change should be pursued through constitutional and democratic processes within Nigeria rather than through foreign influence or international lobbying efforts.