By Paul Joseph
A United States-based lobbying firm representing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of political intimidation and suppression of dissent ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., made the allegation in a statement posted on its official X account on Monday, claiming it was already engaging officials in the United States government over what it described as worsening human rights concerns in Nigeria.
According to the group, the Tinubu administration was “increasingly displaying the behaviour of a single-party dictatorship consolidating power through fear and intimidation.”
The lobby firm alleged that critics of the Federal Government, including opposition figures and ordinary citizens, were being targeted through arrests, detention and corruption-related prosecutions.
Among the cases cited was that of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, whom the group claimed was facing prosecution after publicly criticising President Tinubu.
The firm also referenced businessman John Olatunde Ayeni, alleging that he had come under legal pressure following criticisms of the current administration.
According to the statement, the pattern of actions against perceived critics was becoming “difficult to ignore,” adding that the organisation was monitoring what it called a growing crackdown on dissenting voices.
The group further alleged that thousands of Nigerians without public visibility were being harassed, intimidated or detained without attracting international attention.
It warned that it would brief the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and members of the U.S. Congress on what it described as the “weaponisation of state institutions” ahead of Nigeria’s next presidential election.
The statement comes amid mounting political tension surrounding El-Rufai’s continued detention.
The former governor has reportedly spent over 90 days in custody despite a Federal High Court ruling granting him ₦100 million bail in a national security-related matter.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik had approved bail for El-Rufai under strict conditions, including the provision of a senior civil servant as surety and verified property documents.
However, the former governor remains in detention over a separate corruption case after a Kaduna State High Court ordered that he be held by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
His prolonged detention has triggered protests by family members, political associates and supporters at the headquarters of the Department of State Services in Abuja, with demonstrators accusing security agencies of ignoring court orders and denying him access to adequate medical care and legal rights.
The Federal Government has yet to officially respond to the latest allegations raised by the US lobbying firm.
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