2027 Election: APM Demands Release of FBI Records on Tinubu
The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has called on United States authorities to release portions of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) records concerning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that can legally be made public.
The party said Nigerians preparing to vote in the 2027 presidential election deserved access to relevant information about the candidates, but urged the US authorities to protect details that could compromise the safety of witnesses, investigators or sensitive law enforcement techniques.
The National Publicity Secretary of the APM, Abubakar Yusuf, made the call in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, saying transparency was particularly important as the country approaches the 2027 election.
Yusuf said the party was asking the US authorities to disclose information from the FBI records concerning allegations linked to Tinubu, while withholding portions that could endanger individuals or compromise investigative methods.
He said, “The APM urges the United States authorities to make public the findings in the report of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the drug-trafficking records allegedly linked to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“The US authorities can release aspects of the report that will not endanger lives, expose witnesses, investigators or techniques used in the investigation.”
The APM said continued efforts to prevent the disclosure of the records had generated increased public interest and speculation, particularly because Tinubu is seeking another term in office in 2027.
The controversy centres on FBI records sought in the United States concerning investigations involving Tinubu dating back to the early 1990s. American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan has been seeking access to the records through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
The FBI has argued that some of the information should remain confidential because its disclosure could endanger individuals or reveal sensitive law enforcement methods.
Tinubu’s legal team has also asked a US court to prevent the release of the records, arguing that disclosure could infringe on privacy protections.
Reports on the matter have linked it to a 1993 US civil forfeiture proceeding involving $460,000 in funds associated with Tinubu. The issue also featured in legal proceedings arising from the 2023 Nigerian presidential election.
However, the Presidential Election Petition Court held that the petitioners failed to establish that Tinubu had been criminally convicted in the United States, noting that the forfeiture proceeding was civil in nature rather than a criminal conviction.
Yusuf said the allegations surrounding the matter had continued to attract international attention and could affect perceptions of Nigeria.
He said, “The drug and other ancillary allegations against President Tinubu, who is a major contender in the 2027 presidential election, constitute a global issue which continues to harm Nigeria’s reputation among the comity of nations.”
The APM urged the United States to consider the broader public interest in the matter while balancing transparency with the need to protect confidential sources, individuals and sensitive investigative information.
The party also said the United States, as a leading democracy, should support transparency and democratic accountability in matters of legitimate public interest.
The APM’s position is similar to that of former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who recently called on the FBI to release any information concerning Tinubu that could legally be made public.
Atiku had argued that protecting confidential sources, investigative techniques and individuals should not become a blanket justification for withholding information that Nigerians have a legitimate interest in knowing, particularly ahead of the 2027 election.
Yusuf said Nigerians should be allowed to make informed choices at the polls and urged the US authorities to release any records that could legally be disclosed.
“Against the backdrop of the coming presidential election, the APM urges the United States authorities to assist Nigerians in their decision to elect a leader with clean records and not an individual encumbered by drug-related allegations and corruption cases,” he stated.
The party further argued that the disclosure of information that can legally be released would contribute to transparency and informed democratic decision-making, while acknowledging the need to protect sensitive operational information.