A political controversy has erupted ahead of the 2027 general election after a United States-based lobbying firm linked to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar alleged that its founder, Dr Karl Von Batten, was offered $3 million to abandon a campaign involving allegations against President Bola Tinubu.

Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. made the claim in a statement posted on its X account on Wednesday, alleging that the offer came from a highly placed individual the firm was told had links to President Tinubu.

According to the firm, the alleged offer was made a few days ago and included an invitation for Von Batten to attend a confidential meeting in London, purportedly to persuade him to end the campaign over allegations concerning Tinubu’s alleged heroin-trafficking records.

The firm said Von Batten rejected the offer and preserved copies of the communications exchanged with the alleged intermediary.

It further claimed that he contacted members of Atiku’s campaign to ascertain the alleged intermediary’s relationship with the President.

The lobbying firm alleged that a smear campaign against Von Batten began after he rejected the purported offer.

It said it intends to submit the communications and details of the alleged $3 million inducement to the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for review.

The firm stated that Von Batten received “unsolicited offers of $3 million” and an invitation to a confidential London meeting from an individual it was informed was connected to Tinubu.

PRESIDENCY: PRODUCE EVIDENCE

The allegation has triggered a strong response from the Presidency.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, dismissed the claims as political speculation and challenged the lobbying firm to produce evidence backing its allegations.

Dare demanded that Von Batten identify the unnamed sources behind the claims and publish the alleged “highly classified intelligence report” reportedly being relied upon.

He also rejected any suggestion that Von Batten was acting for the United States government or President Donald Trump.

“The self-bestowed appellation of ‘Senior Government Advisor’ is a linguistic sleight of hand,” Dare said, describing Von Batten as a commercial lobbyist and founder of Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C.

The presidential aide also questioned the firm’s relationship with Atiku, citing filings under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act.

According to Dare, the filings indicate that Atiku engaged Von Batten-Montague-York under a $1.2 million, 12-month retainer.

He alleged that the engagement was intended to counter narratives from the Nigerian government and deploy historical US legal records in the political contest ahead of the 2027 election.

Von Batten-Montague-York, however, maintained that it had preserved communications relating to the alleged $3 million offer and would submit them to US authorities.

The firm ended its statement with a pointed message to Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress and their associates: “Thank you for the offer, but no thanks.”

Neither the identity of the alleged intermediary nor the purported connection to President Tinubu has been independently verified.

The claim of a $3 million offer, as well as the competing allegations concerning Tinubu’s alleged past and the lobbying firm’s political activities, remains unsubstantiated and contested.

The controversy comes as political alignments intensify ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with rival camps increasingly turning to international lobbying, historical records and allegations to shape public opinion.