The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has faulted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for asking a United States court to withhold records relating to his past, describing the move as “profoundly embarrassing” for the country.
In a statement issued on Sunday, August 30, and again on Monday, August 31, 2026, Obi said leadership demands courage and honesty in confronting one’s history rather than shielding it from legitimate scrutiny.
“It is profoundly embarrassing that we have reached a point where a sitting President is asking a foreign court to withhold records concerning his past, particularly records relating to matters of legitimate public interest_,” Obi said.
Tinubu, who joined the case as an intervenor, asked the US District Court for the District of Columbia to reject a motion seeking further disclosure of records held by the FBI and DEA. His lawyers argued that privacy provisions under US law protect the records and that the Freedom of Information Act does not provide a basis for obtaining information about private individuals.
The request was filed by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan under FOIA, seeking records from 1992 to 1993 relating to investigations into a Chicago heroin ring in which Tinubu was named among four individuals. In April 2025, US District Judge Beryl Howell had ordered the agencies to search for and process non-exempt records, leading to the release of thousands of documents with some redactions.
The FBI later submitted additional records “under seal, ex parte, in camera” on August 28, 2026, citing concerns that its informants and agents could face “violent retaliation” if the files were released.
Obi, who contested the 2023 election on the platform of the Labour Party, said the Presidency should exemplify integrity, accountability and transparency.
“An imperfect past is part of the human condition. What matters is the willingness to confront it with humility, honesty and deep apology, to make amends where necessary and, when circumstances so demand, to place the interests of the nation above personal ambition_,” he stated. 8e0c
He added that his concern was the example it sets for over 200 million Nigerians, especially young people. Obi also stressed that “_Nigeria is greater than any one person, and the integrity of the Republic must always come before the interests of the individual_”.
The NDC candidate further said Nigerians deserve “clear, credible, and verifiable explanations” on issues concerning the President’s records, including questions previously raised about his education. 8f14
The controversy around Tinubu’s US law-enforcement records resurfaced during the 2023 election after documents of a 1993 US civil forfeiture proceeding surfaced. A US District Court in Illinois had ordered the forfeiture of $460,000 in an account linked to Tinubu. The APC maintained it was a civil forfeiture and not a criminal conviction, a position Obi’s camp disputed at the time.
Opposition figures including former VP Atiku Abubakar have also questioned the move to block the release. 2f64
