Aso Villa has downplayed the United States court ruling ordering the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to release investigative files connected to President Bola Tinubu, saying the documents in question are decades old and contain no incriminating findings.
However, Tinubu met with the U.S. Department representative from President Donald Trump’s administration last Thursday in Paris to discuss developing a strategic economic and security partnership between Nigeria, Africa and the U.S.
The Presidency has dissociated with the increasing number of billboards in some cities promoting the 2027 campaign for President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Reacting to the judgment delivered last Tuesday by Judge Beryl Howell of the United States District Court in Washington D.C., Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, posted on X yesterday: “There is nothing new to be revealed. The report by Agent Moss of the FBI and the DEA report have been in the public space for more than 30 years. The reports did not indict the Nigerian leader.”
The response followed heightened public interest after the U.S. court partially granted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by American transparency activist, Aaron Greenspan, ordering the FBI and DEA to lift their long-standing “Glomar” responses, neither confirming nor denying the existence of records regarding Tinubu’s alleged links to a 1990s heroin trafficking and money laundering investigation in Chicago.
In her ruling, Judge Howell stated that the existence of such investigative records had already been acknowledged in a 1993 civil forfeiture case filed by the U.S. Department of Justice, which named Tinubu and resulted in the forfeiture of funds from his U.S. bank accounts. The judge found that this official disclosure nullified the FBI and DEA’s grounds for secrecy.
However, Onanuga insisted that the ruling changed nothing about Tinubu’s legal or political standing. “The lawyers are examining the ruling,” he added.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was allowed to maintain its Glomar response, with the court agreeing that confirming or denying the existence of CIA records on Tinubu could compromise national security.
ONANUGA, in a statement yesterday, disclosed that the Senior Advisor on Africa in Trump’s administration, Massad Boulos, led the delegation and the discussion was anchored on mutual respect, prosperity and regional stability.
According to the statement: “The U.S. State Department rep conveyed President Trump’s strong interest in deepening direct engagement with Nigeria as a cornerstone of U.S. relations with Africa.
“The U.S. wanted to work closely with Tinubu to expand American investment in Nigeria and Africa, support energy and infrastructure development, and align trade and job creation efforts. Both sides discussed actionable support and shared their perspectives on regional peace, particularly in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and across the Sahel.”
According to Onanuga, while Tinubu and Shettima greatly appreciate their teeming and loyal supporters across the country for their enthusiasm and continuing support, the two leaders do not support any campaign that breaches the laws of the land.
“Until the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) sets the timetable for the 2027 elections, the President has not endorsed or authorised anyone or any group to mount a 2027 campaign for him through any media channel—be it Out-of-Home, print, digital, radio, or television.
“Therefore, we urgently call on individuals and groups funding this 2027 political campaign through the ongoing deployment of materials on billboards nationwide to cease immediately.”
THE GUARDIAN
