The Atiku Media Office has challenged President Bola Tinubu to make public his records with the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Justice (DOJ), insisting that doing so would dispel lingering controversies surrounding allegations linked to a decades-old narcotics investigation in the United States.
The position was contained in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja, in which the media office accused the Presidency of attempting to "whitewash" issues relating to the President's alleged past involvement in a U.S. narcotics case.
The statement, signed by the Atiku Media Office, was a response to an earlier statement by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, which reportedly dismissed renewed public interest in the matter, describing it as a settled issue.
According to the Atiku Media Office, if the matter had indeed been conclusively resolved as claimed by the Presidency, there should be no objection to the release of the President's FBI and DOJ records.
The media office argued that the Presidency's response had raised further questions about why every effort to obtain or revisit the documents was being resisted.
It maintained that occupying the nation's highest political office demands transparency and accountability, adding that any unresolved controversy surrounding the President's past should be addressed in the public interest.
The statement further contended that criminal investigations could be revisited whenever fresh circumstances warrant such action, noting that changes in leadership within the United States between 2023 and 2027 should not preclude law enforcement agencies from determining whether any aspect of the matter required further review.
The Atiku Media Office alleged that attempts to prevent the disclosure of the records through legal processes and media responses were unnecessary if there was nothing to conceal.
It therefore urged President Tinubu to allow the release of his FBI and DOJ records, insisting that such a step would strengthen public confidence and reinforce the principles of openness and accountability in governance.
The Presidency had yet to issue a fresh response to the latest statement by the Atiku Media Office as of the time of filing this report.
