Former vice president Atiku Abubakar has challenged President Bola Tinubu to answer questions bordering on his alleged involvement in narcotics trafficking and money laundering in the U.S.

In a statement by his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president said, “Instead of answering the simple questions raised by existing American records, Mr Tinubu’s media aide “have chosen to investigate Karl Von Batten’s marriage, ancestry, names and business history. At this rate, perhaps their next press statement will tell Nigerians the color of his socks and what he eats for breakfast.”

“But none of that answers the question: why are we here?,” Mr Abubakar said, adding his “$1.2 million engagement with Von Batten-Montague-York was voluntarily registered with the United States Department of Justice under FARA. The filing openly states the nature of the engagement, its duration and compensation. You cannot expose what was publicly disclosed.”

Mr Abubakar dismissed Mr Tinubu’s statement claiming he had been swindled by his lobby team, asking: “Why was Bola Tinubu’s name connected to a historical United States federal narcotics and money-laundering investigation? Why did a United States District Court enter a decree forfeiting $460,000 held in an account in Bola Tinubu’s name?”

He added, “These are not documents written by Atiku. They were not manufactured by Karl Von Batten. They are part of an American judicial record.”

Mr Abubakar challenged the Tinubu administration to debate issues bordering on insecurity, food inflation and other matters affecting Nigerians.

“Let us discuss Tinubu’s domestic performance. Let us discuss food. Let us discuss transport. Let us discuss electricity. Let us discuss insecurity. Let us discuss the collapsing purchasing power of Nigerian families,” Mr Abubakar said.

Accusing Mr Tinubu of hypocrisy over his outburst against his lobbying firm, Mr Abubakar said, “The Tinubu administration itself entered a Washington lobbying arrangement with DCI Group worth $750,000 every month, $ 4.5 million for the first six months, with contractual provisions capable of taking the engagement to $9 million. The arrangement was conducted through Aster Legal in connection with a senior federal security institution.”

This came in response to Mr Tinubu’s statement that rubbished Mr Abubakar for paying $1.2 million to Washington lobbyist Karl-Marx Edward Okeke-Von Batten to cast aspersions on him.