ADC, APM accuse FG of twisting Trump’s letter

The Presidency, yesterday, launched a fresh attack on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of undermining Nigeria’s sovereignty by lobbying the United States (U.S.) against President Bola Tinubu and questioning his own legal history in America.

In a statement titled ‘When will Atiku Abubakar report ‘imself to President Trump?”, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, alleged that Atiku’s political ambition had eclipsed the qualities expected of a statesman.

Onanuga criticised what he described as efforts by Atiku’s U.S.-based lobbyists to petition President Trump, the U.S. State Department and members of the U.S. Congress over a 1993 civil forfeiture case involving Tinubu, arguing that the matter had long been resolved.

According to him, the issue had been settled more than three decades ago, litigated in the U.S. and subsequently addressed during Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election and at the Supreme Court.

He maintained that Nigeria is a sovereign nation and described attempts to seek foreign intervention in its domestic political affairs as inappropriate and contrary to the conduct expected of a former vice president.

While acknowledging that lobbying is a legitimate feature of American politics, Onanuga argued that engaging foreign lobbyists to revive allegations against a sitting Nigerian President amounted to an effort to internationalise domestic politics.

The presidential aide further challenged Atiku to explain what he described as the former vice president’s own legal history in the U.S.

He referenced the William Jefferson bribery scandal and a 2010 report of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations titled ‘Keeping Foreign Corruption Out of the United States: Four Case Histories’, which examined financial transactions involving Atiku and his former wife, Jennifer Douglas.

Onanuga also criticised Atiku’s role in Nigeria’s privatisation programme during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, alleging that the exercise resulted in the disposal of national assets to politically connected individuals and led to widespread job losses.

He argued that Atiku should focus on presenting policy alternatives to address Nigeria’s challenges rather than pursuing
what he described as political campaigns abroad.

MEANWHILE, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has reacted to the purported letter by the U.S. President, Donald Trump, to President Bola Tinubu, saying that the claimed endorsement by the American President will not save Tinubu from electoral defeat, and that celebrating a diplomatic communication from the President of another country only betrays Tinubu’s “desperation for any form of validation.”

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the letter does not reflect the country’s worsening insecurity and ignores the painful reality that hundreds of women and children are still being held captive in Borno and Kaiama in Kwara State, while several communities in Benue and other parts of the country continue to live under constant fear.

The party maintained that the Presidency’s attempt to present Trump’s letter to Tinubu as a referendum on the state of the nation is unfortunate.

The statement said: “While we hold the office and person of the President of the United States (U.S.) in high esteem, it is important to note that diplomatic correspondence between heads of state is a normal feature of international relations. Countries cooperate, leaders exchange views, and letters are exchanged.

“What is apparent, however, is this administration’s desperation to seize upon any gesture of international recognition as proof of success at home. A letter from a foreign president, however well-intentioned, cannot substitute for the verdict of the Nigerian people. The true measure of any government is not what is written about it abroad, but what its citizens experience every day.”

ALSO, the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has accused the Presidency of misrepresenting a letter from Trump by portraying it as an endorsement of Tinubu’s performance in the fight against terrorism.

The opposition party maintained that Trump merely acknowledged Tinubu’s expressed commitment to tackling insecurity and did not commend his administration for achieving tangible successes against terrorists.

In a statement issued yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, the APM described as “misleading” the Presidency’s claim that the American leader praised Tinubu’s anti-terrorism efforts, insisting that the contents of the letter had been distorted to improve the government’s public image.

According to the party, a careful reading of the July 6, 2026, correspondence from Trump showed that the U.S. leader only applauded Tinubu’s resolve to confront the country’s security challenges rather than his administration’s record in addressing terrorism.

Quoting from the letter, the APM noted that Trump wrote: “Thank you for your thoughtful letter. Your kind words mean a great deal to me, and I appreciate your decisive leadership on behalf of the Nigerian people. I applaud your resolve to tackle the issues plaguing your nation, especially the violence affecting Christian communities.”

The party argued that nowhere in the letter did the American President commend Tinubu for concrete achievements in degrading terrorist groups or improving Nigeria’s security situation.