2027: US Lobbying Firm Warns Tinubu, Keyamo Over Court Ruling Nullifying Atiku’s Candidacy

A United States-based lobbying and political advisory firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has warned President Bola Tinubu, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over the Federal High Court judgment that nullified former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s emergence as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 election.

The firm threatened to present what it described as evidence of alleged political interference in Nigeria’s judicial and electoral processes to members of the administration of US President Donald Trump and the United States Congress.

In a statement published on its verified X handle on Thursday, the firm alleged that the judgment was politically influenced and connected to concerns within the Tinubu administration over Atiku’s growing support ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

It claimed that officials of the Presidency allegedly met shortly after Atiku’s campaign rally in Sokoto, suggesting that the subsequent court ruling was linked to the meeting.

The firm described the circumstances surrounding the judgment as suspicious and accused the government of attempting to weaken the opposition ahead of the next general election.

It stated that the Presidency had chosen the wrong time to carry out what it characterised as an alleged attempt to frustrate Atiku’s political ambition.

Von Batten-Montague-York also singled out Keyamo over his public reaction to the court decision, saying it would present the minister’s post to officials in Washington as part of its complaint.

The firm argued that Keyamo’s celebration of the judgment could raise questions about the administration’s position on the independence of Nigeria’s judicial and electoral institutions.

It further claimed that a senior congressional staff member had described the development as an alleged display of election interference by the Nigerian government.

However, the firm did not identify the congressional staff member or provide evidence that the US Congress had formally adopted the position.

In its warning to Tinubu and Keyamo, the firm declared: “The court case nullifying Atiku will be your doom. You celebrated too early. Washington is watching.”

The controversy followed a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which nullified the David Mark-led leadership of the ADC and set aside the processes through which the party’s national leadership emerged.

The court also invalidated Atiku’s nomination as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

The suit was instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC Deputy National Chairman, who challenged the legitimacy of the Mark-led leadership structure.

Bala argued that the process through which the leadership assumed control of the party did not comply with the ADC constitution and relevant procedures.

Following the judgment, the ADC rejected the decision, describing it as politically motivated and alleging an attempt to weaken the opposition. The party indicated that it would challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal.

Atiku also criticised the judgment, while Keyamo maintained that the court’s decision was based on legal considerations and should not be judged through political sentiments.

Von Batten-Montague-York has previously provided lobbying and strategic advisory services for Atiku in the United States, a relationship relevant to understanding its involvement in the dispute.

Its allegations of interference by Tinubu, Keyamo and the APC remain claims by the firm. No publicly established evidence has demonstrated that the Presidency influenced the judge or directed the outcome of the case.

Similarly, its threat to approach US authorities does not establish that the Trump administration or Congress has opened an investigation or endorsed the allegations.

The development has added an international dimension to the political and legal controversy surrounding the ADC leadership crisis and Atiku’s ambition to contest the 2027 presidential election.