"We Were Offered $3m To Stop Campaign Against Tinubu"

A US-based policy advisory and lobbying firm linked to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has claimed that its founder, Dr. Karl Von Batten, was offered $3 million to end its campaign over allegations involving President Bola Tinubu.

The firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, made the claim in a statement published on its X account on Wednesday, saying the offer was allegedly made by a highly placed person who was presented to the firm as someone connected to President Tinubu.

According to the firm, Von Batten was also invited to a private meeting in London as part of the alleged attempt to persuade him to stop the campaign.

The lobbying company said its founder rejected the offer and kept records of the communications exchanged with the person who allegedly approached him.

It added that Von Batten later contacted members of Atiku Abubakar’s campaign to find out more about the alleged intermediary and the claimed connection to the President.

The firm further alleged that negative publicity against its founder began after he turned down the offer.

It said the alleged $3 million proposal and the communications linked to it would be submitted to the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for examination.

The development has attracted a response from the Presidency, which questioned the credibility of Von Batten and accused the lobbying firm of presenting political claims as intelligence information.

President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, described Von Batten as a commercial lobbyist rather than an official of the US government.

Dare challenged the firm to release the alleged classified intelligence report it had referred to, identify its unnamed sources and provide documents to support its claims.

He said there was no intelligence document, named Western official or evidence showing that Nigeria’s sensitive information or resources were involved in the claims being circulated.

Dare also rejected any suggestion that Von Batten was representing the US government or President Donald Trump. He said the description of Von Batten as a senior government adviser was misleading.

The presidential aide also pointed to US Foreign Agents Registration Act filings involving Atiku and the lobbying firm. He said the records showed that Atiku engaged Von Batten-Montague-York under a $1.2 million, 12-month agreement.

According to Dare, the arrangement was connected to efforts to challenge Nigerian government narratives and make use of historical US legal records for political purposes ahead of the 2027 general election.

He also questioned claims that Von Batten had direct access to Trump or members of his administration or possessed the ability to influence ongoing legal matters in the United States.

Despite the Presidency’s response, Von Batten-Montague-York maintained that it had retained evidence relating to the alleged payment offer and planned to submit the material to US authorities.

The firm said it had no intention of accepting any offer to stop its activities and directed the message at Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress and their associates.

However, the claim that Von Batten was offered $3 million has not been independently verified. The alleged connection between the person who reportedly made the offer and President Tinubu also remains unconfirmed.

Likewise, allegations concerning supposed heroin-trafficking records involving Tinubu remain claims made by the lobbying firm and have not been established as facts by a court or relevant authority.

The Presidency’s assertions about Atiku’s relationship with the lobbying firm form part of the ongoing political dispute, although Dare said they were supported by US FARA filings.