Atiku Challenges Presidency, Demands Fresh Probe Into Tinubu’s U.S. Narcotics Case

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the Presidency over its response to renewed discussions surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s alleged links to a decades-old narcotics case in the United States, accusing the administration of attempting to suppress scrutiny of the matter.

In a statement on Thursday, Atiku described as “reckless and shameful” a recent statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on behalf of Tinubu in response to an earlier call-out on the case.

According to Atiku, the Presidency’s claim that the narcotics trafficking case against the President had “long been settled” amounted to an admission that Tinubu was investigated in connection with narcotics trafficking.

“We are shocked that the Presidency would claim that the narcotics trafficking charges against Tinubu have ‘long been settled’ and rendered moot by an electoral mandate,” the statement read.

Naija News reports that he warned that immunity does not prevent a fresh probe.

“This argument essentially admits that Tinubu indeed faced investigation on narcotics trafficking, but suggests that his current position as President grants him immunity, thereby wiping the records of his links to the heroin scandal clean,” Atiku added in the statement from his media office.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) 2027 presidential candidate also questioned the Presidency’s opposition to renewed public interest in the case.

Quoting a Yoruba proverb, Atiku said, “As the popular Yoruba adage goes: an aged bowl of pounded yam can still steam.”

He challenged Onanuga and the President’s media team to explain what he described as efforts to prevent further scrutiny of Tinubu’s records in the United States.

“If the case against their principal is truly time-barred, why are they so panicky about any attempt to revisit it? Why is President Tinubu blocking every move to unravel what is in his FBI/DOJ US files?” he asked.

Atiku argued that the Office of the President demanded the highest level of integrity, adding that allegations surrounding its occupant could affect Nigeria’s international reputation.

“The Office of the President is more than a mere political position. It is an office that mirrors the soul of the society it governs. Having an alleged ex-trafficker in that office inflicts serious reputational damage on Nigeria’s image and on every Nigerian on the global stage,” he stated.

The former vice president further maintained that criminal investigations could be reopened where fresh circumstances warranted such action.

“The Presidency’s media team should be reminded that issues of criminal justice are never completely thrown out. They can be revisited at any material time, especially when new circumstances arise,” he said.

Atiku noted that there had been a change in leadership in the United States between 2023 and 2027, arguing that it was the responsibility of law enforcement agencies to determine whether the matter should be revisited.

According to him, “Revisiting the narcotics case against a sitting president is not an affront to the intelligence of Nigerians. Rather, it is a bold attempt to ensure that the wheel of justice continues to turn.”

He urged Tinubu to cooperate with any fresh review of the matter if he had nothing to conceal.

“If President Tinubu has nothing to hide about his records in the US narcotics scandal, he should submit himself to the process of revisiting the case instead of resorting to his usual tactics, frustrating disclosures through frivolous court appeals or deploying his media team to issue long, hollow essays aimed at rewriting history for personal gain,” Atiku said.