A United States-based lobbying firm linked to 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 lobbying group, Von Batten-Montague-York L.C., made the allegations in a statement posted on its official X account on Monday, warning that it may brief the administration of US President Donald Trump and the US Congress on the situation in Nigeria.
“The Nigerian government under Bola Tinubu is increasingly displaying the behaviour of a single-party dictatorship consolidating power through fear and intimidation,” the statement read.
The statement comes amid ongoing controversy surrounding El-Rufai’s continued detention.
The former governor has reportedly spent over 90 days in custody despite being granted ₦100 million bail by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik in a national security-related case.
However, he remains detained following a separate corruption case involving the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
His detention has triggered protests by supporters and allies outside the headquarters of the Department of State Services in Abuja.
Demonstrators accused security agencies of disregarding court rulings and denying the former governor adequate access to medical care and legal rights.
Allegations of political targeting
The firm claimed that critics of the Nigerian government are increasingly facing arrests, detention, intimidation and corruption charges.
According to the statement, “public figures and ordinary citizens who criticise the current government are suddenly being arrested, detained, or charged with corruption.”
The lobby group specifically referenced former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and businessman John Olatunde Ayeni as examples of individuals allegedly facing legal pressure after criticising the government.
“The common thread is becoming difficult to ignore: critics of the Tinubu government are increasingly being targeted,” the firm alleged.
Threat to escalate matter internationally
Von Batten-Montague-York stated that it is monitoring what it described as a growing pattern of democratic backsliding and alleged abuse of state institutions.
The firm further claimed that “thousands of ordinary Nigerians with no public profile are being arrested, beaten, intimidated, or disappearing without international attention.”
It warned that it would brief the Trump administration and members of the US Congress on what it called “the growing weaponisation of state institutions to silence dissent ahead of the next presidential election.”
The allegations add to rising political tension ahead of the 2027 elections, with opposition figures increasingly accusing the government of shrinking democratic space and targeting dissenting voices.
The Federal Government has yet to officially respond to the latest claims by the US-based lobbying firm.
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