A United States-based policy advisory and lobbying firm linked to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has alleged that its founder, Dr Karl Von Batten, was offered $3 million and invited to a confidential meeting in London in an attempt to persuade him to discontinue the firm’s campaign over allegations concerning President Bola Tinubu.
Von Batten-Montague-York made the allegation in a statement published on its X account on Wednesday, claiming that the offer was made “a few days ago” by a highly placed individual whom the firm was told had links to the President.
According to the firm, the alleged inducement was intended to persuade Von Batten to terminate its campaign relating to claims about alleged heroin-trafficking records involving Tinubu.
The firm said Von Batten rejected the offer and preserved copies of the communications exchanged with the alleged intermediary.
It added that he subsequently contacted members of Atiku’s campaign to establish the nature of the alleged relationship between the individual and the President.
The lobbying firm further alleged that a smear campaign against its founder commenced shortly after he rejected the purported offer.
It said the communications and other materials relating to the alleged $3 million proposal would be submitted to the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for review.
The firm stated, “A few days ago, Dr. Von Batten received unsolicited offers of $3 million, along with an invitation to a confidential meeting in London, from a highly placed individual whom we have been informed is connected to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.”
It added that Von Batten “refused the offers, immediately preserved copies of the exchanges” and contacted members of Atiku’s campaign.
Presidency dismisses claims
The allegation has triggered a response from the Presidency, which questioned the credibility of the lobbying firm and rejected suggestions that Von Batten was speaking on behalf of the US government or President Donald Trump.
Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, described Von Batten as a commercial lobbyist and dismissed the claims attributed to him as political speculation rather than an official intelligence assessment.
Dare challenged the firm to produce the purported “highly classified intelligence report”, identify its unnamed sources and provide documentary evidence to substantiate its claims.
According to him, the material released by the firm contained neither an intelligence document nor the name of any Western official or evidence of an exchange involving Nigeria’s classified information, resources or national interests.
“It is nothing more than political speculation packaged as classified information,” Dare said.
He also disputed the description of Von Batten as a “Senior Government Advisor”, arguing that the title did not establish any official position within the US government.
“The self-bestowed appellation of ‘Senior Government Advisor’ is a linguistic sleight of hand,” he said.
Dare said Von Batten was instead the founder of Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., a commercial lobbying and policy advisory firm.
Presidency cites Atiku’s $1.2m lobbying retainer
The presidential aide also drew attention to the relationship between Atiku and the lobbying firm, citing filings under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Dare said the filings showed that Atiku had engaged Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. on a $1.2 million, 12-month retainer.
He alleged that the engagement was designed to counter narratives from the Nigerian government and deploy historical US legal records for political purposes ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Dare argued that the Nigerian connection was evident from names contained in the lobbying documents and accused the firm of generating public relations materials that were subsequently portrayed as reflecting the position of the US government.
He also questioned the firm’s claims regarding Von Batten’s access to Trump or members of his administration, as well as its purported ability to influence ongoing US legal proceedings.
Firm vows to submit evidence to US authorities
Despite the Presidency’s response, Von Batten-Montague-York maintained that it had preserved the communications surrounding the alleged $3 million offer and intended to make them available to US authorities for scrutiny.
The firm ended its statement with a direct message to Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress and their associates.
“We have a simple message for President Bola Tinubu, the APC, and their associates: Thank you for the offer, but no thanks,” it said.
Claims yet to be independently verified
The allegation that Von Batten was offered $3 million to terminate the campaign, as well as the claim that the purported intermediary was connected to Tinubu, could not be independently verified as of the time of filing.
Similarly, the allegations concerning purported heroin-trafficking records remain claims made by the lobbying firm and have not been established as facts by a court or competent authority.
The Presidency’s assertions concerning Atiku’s relationship with Von Batten-Montague-York are also part of the wider political dispute, although Dare said the $1.2 million retainer was supported by publicly available FARA filings.
The controversy comes as political actors and lobbying organisations intensify their activities ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
Leave feedback about this