An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Osun, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has dismissed claims that the United States has reopened a drug trafficking case against President Bola Tinubu.

Mr Oyintiloye described the claims as falsehoods by the opposition aimed at misleading Nigerians and garnering sympathy ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said this while speaking with journalists on Sunday in Osogbo, warning opposition leaders against spreading what he described as falsehoods.

He also described the claim as political propaganda aimed at distracting Nigerians.

Mr Oyintiloye urged Nigerians and the media to avoid what he described as “trial by document.”

He said the controversy was part of a recurring pattern of allegations against Mr Tinubu, particularly at critical points in his political career.

The former lawmaker noted that Mr Tinubu had spent decades in Nigeria’s political space and had faced several controversies during that period.

He recalled that allegations concerning Mr Tinubu’s academic credentials generated extensive public and media debate during his two-term tenure as Lagos State governor between 1999 and 2007, while similar allegations resurfaced during the 2023 presidential campaign.

Mr Oyintiloye accused opposition elements of “recycling allegations bordering on certificate forgery, criminality and drug trafficking instead of engaging Nigerians on substantive issues of governance.”

He challenged them to offer credible alternatives through clear policies and programmes capable of improving the lives of Nigerians.

The former lawmaker said no U.S. court had reopened or ordered a criminal retrial against Mr Tinubu, adding that no American judge had pronounced the President guilty of drug trafficking.

He said the matter generating controversy was a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit seeking access to records held by U.S. law enforcement agencies, rather than a criminal prosecution or retrial.

“An FOIA case is about access to government records. It is not a criminal trial, a retrial or a judicial declaration of guilt,” he said.

Mr Oyintiloye said the existence of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) records should not automatically be interpreted as proof of criminality.

He further said investigative files could contain unproven allegations, leads or information supplied by third parties.

The APC chieftain also cited FOIA Exemption 7(C), which provides protection for certain law enforcement information where disclosure could constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.

Mr Oyintiloye said Nigeria’s democracy should move beyond personality attacks and campaigns of calumny.

He said politicians should be judged on their ideas, manifestoes, records and performance, urging Nigerians to scrutinise political claims and distinguish between allegations, investigations, charges and convictions.

“Privacy is not a crime. An investigation is not a conviction. A document is not automatically a fact simply because it bears the seal of a government agency.

“The opposition should tell us their manifesto, not blackmail. Tell Nigerians what you have on the table and why they should vote for you,” he said.

(NAN)