By Our Correspondent
Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has called on the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to release all records concerning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that can legally be made public.
Atiku’s demand followed a recent FBI application before a federal court in Washington, D.C., seeking permission to privately explain why certain records relating to an old investigation involving Tinubu should remain withheld. The FBI cited concerns including the protection of law-enforcement techniques and the safety of individuals.
In a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku argued that legitimate protections for confidential sources, investigators and sensitive investigative methods should not become a blanket reason for withholding information that can lawfully be disclosed.
He urged the FBI to protect genuinely sensitive material through appropriate redactions while releasing other records that are not covered by legal exemptions.
Atiku said Nigerians have a legitimate interest in information concerning matters involving the country’s political leadership, particularly as the nation approaches another election cycle.
The controversy centres on Freedom of Information Act requests seeking records from the 1990s, including FBI files and interview records. The FBI has invoked several FOIA exemptions and maintains that releasing some withheld information could expose investigative techniques or potentially endanger individuals.
The matter remains before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Reports indicate that the FBI, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Tinubu face an August 28 deadline for filing their opposition to the release of the records.
The ongoing legal dispute concerns access to government records; the existence of withheld FBI records or an investigation does not, by itself, establish that President Tinubu committed a criminal offence.
Atiku’s latest intervention has nevertheless intensified calls for transparency, with the ADC candidate insisting that where information can legally be disclosed, the public should not be denied access to it.
