A United States-based political advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has accused the Nigerian Presidency of misleading the public over the ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case involving records relating to President Bola Tinubu.
The firm made the allegation in a statement posted on its verified X account on Friday, following the Presidency’s clarification that the case before a US federal court is a civil dispute over access to government records and not a criminal case against Tinubu.
The Presidency, in a statement by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, also said no US court had found the President guilty of any criminal wrongdoing.
Responding, Von Batten-Montague-York said it was preparing to seek permission from the US District Court for the District of Columbia to file an amicus curiae brief on Tinubu’s privacy claims in the case.
The firm argued that the Presidency’s public comments on the records could weaken Tinubu’s privacy arguments under FOIA Exemption 7(C).
It also accused the Presidency of misrepresenting the contents of records involving the FBI, DEA, and previous court proceedings.
The FOIA suit, filed by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, concerns requests for records held by US government agencies relating to Tinubu. The case remains a civil records-disclosure dispute, with the court yet to determine outstanding issues over the release and redaction of documents.
