Atiku Responds to Presidency, Demands Fresh Probe Into Tinubu’s U.S. Narcotics Allegations

The Presidency has been mocked by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over its reaction to renewed discussions about President Bola Tinubu’s alleged links to a decades-old narcotics case in the United States, with the administration accused of attempting to stifle scrutiny of the matter.

Atiku, in a statement on Thursday, described 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 as “reckless and shameful”.

Atiku said the claim by the Presidency that the case of narcotics trafficking against the President had “long been settled” was an admission that Tinubu was investigated in connection with narcotics trafficking.

The statement said: “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.

He reportedly warned immunity does not block a new probe.

“This argument concedes essentially that Tinubu was investigated for narcotics trafficking but argues that his present position as President crowns him with immunity, thereby clearing the records of his links to the heroin scandal,” Atiku said in the statement from his media office.

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The ADC 2027 presidential candidate also questioned the Presidency’s opposition to renewed public interest in the case.

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

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

“If the case against their principal is really 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 queried.

Atiku said the Office of the President needed the highest level of integrity and that allegations against its occupant could harm Nigeria’s international reputation.

“The President’s Office is not just a political job. It is an office that reflects the soul of the society that it governs. The presence of an alleged ex-trafficker in that office is a huge reputational blow to Nigeria’s image and to all Nigerians on the world stage,” he said.

The ex-VP also argued that criminal investigations could be reopened if there were new circumstances that justified such action.

“The media team of the Presidency needs to be reminded that criminal justice issues do not get thrown out completely. “They can be revisited at any material time especially when new circumstances arise,” he said.

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

He said, “Going back on the narcotics case of a serving president is not an insult on the intelligence of Nigerians. Rather, it is a bold attempt to keep the wheels of justice moving. “

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

“If President Tinubu has no skeletons in his closet on his involvement in the US narcotics scandal, he should allow the case to be re-opened instead of resorting to his usual tactics of thwarting disclosure through frivolous appeals in court or assigning his media team the task of writing long, empty essays aimed at rewriting history for his personal benefit,” Atiku said.