NEWS
2023 Court Evidence Puts Fresh Spotlight on Claims Over Tinubu’s Alleged U.S. Criminal Records
…as US Embassy And Supreme Court Authenticated FBI Letter Cleared Tinubu
The controversy surrounding claims of alleged criminal records against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the United States has resurfaced ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with attention now turning to documentary evidence previously presented before the Nigerian courts.
The successful authentication and admission of a United States Embassy document during proceedings in 2023, which the Presidency says cleared President Tinubu of any criminal charges or arrest records, has renewed arguments that allegations linking the Nigerian leader to criminal records in the U.S. had already been addressed by the courts.
The document was presented during proceedings at the Presidential Election Petition Court by Tinubu’s legal team, led by Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN. According to the evidence, a communication from the U.S. Embassy provided information concerning checks conducted on Tinubu by American law-enforcement authorities.
The Presidency has maintained that the document formed part of the evidence used by Tinubu to defend his victory in the February 25, 2023 presidential election against petitions filed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other political opponents.
According to the letter, which originated from a 2003 response by a legal attaché at the U.S. Consulate in Lagos to an official enquiry by the then Inspector-General of Police, checks conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation through the National Crime Information Center reportedly returned negative results for criminal arrest records, wants or warrants against Tinubu.
The Presidency has also pointed to the fact that the document was tendered alongside other materials, including academic records from Chicago State University and immigration-related documents, as part of the evidence presented to counter allegations raised during the election litigation.
The issue has gained renewed attention following recent claims attributed to the African Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 election, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and lobbyist Ikemefuna Okeke Von Batten, who has continued to allege that the U.S. government possesses criminal records concerning the Nigerian President.
However, supporters of the President argue that the documentary evidence admitted by the Nigerian courts in 2023 already addressed the issue and that attempts to revive the allegations amount to reopening a matter that had previously been examined during the presidential election litigation.
The controversy has also prompted renewed interest in the authenticity and status of claims being circulated about Tinubu’s alleged criminal history in the United States. The Presidency has maintained that the U.S. Embassy document provides an important official record concerning the outcome of the checks referenced in the communication.
A political analyst in Abuja, John Adewale, also dismissed the renewed allegations, describing them as an attempt to revisit an issue he believes has already been settled through the judicial process.
According to Adewale, “Mr Ikemefuna Okeke Von Batten’s claims are unfounded and they are efforts to try to relitigate a matter already settled by the Nigerian courts.” He further maintained that Tinubu has no criminal records in the United States.
Questions have also been raised over some of Von Batten’s other public claims. In particular, his reported assertion that he was appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump to serve as a commissioner on a U.S. presidential commission has not, according to the information available, been officially verified by the U.S. government.
There has also been scrutiny of material shared on his social media accounts. Checks reportedly showed photographs of Von Batten with Eric Trump, the son of President Donald Trump, although critics have questioned whether the images were presented in a manner that could give the impression that they were recent. They have alleged that one of the photographs was an older image that had been cropped.
As of 24 hours after the reported appointment claim was made, there had also been no publicly identified statement from the U.S. government or an official U.S. government publication confirming that Von Batten had been appointed to such a position.
With the 2027 presidential contest gradually taking shape, the issue is likely to remain part of the political debate, particularly as opposition figures and political groups continue to scrutinise Tinubu’s background.
For the Presidency and its supporters, however, the central argument remains that the U.S. Embassy communication was authenticated and admitted as evidence during the 2023 election litigation and that the courts had the opportunity to consider the documentary material before reaching their decisions.
The renewed controversy therefore places the focus not only on the allegations themselves but also on the evidentiary record already presented before the Nigerian judiciary and whether fresh political claims can establish anything beyond what was previously placed before the courts.