•Says Tinubu has lost US cover under Trump

By BONIFACE AKARAH

United States-based Nigerian lawyer and democracy advocate, Emmanuel Ogebe, has claimed that while President Bola Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and Vice President Kashim Shettima have issues of concern in the United States, while Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has no such record.

Ogebe made the remarks during an interview on Inside Sources, a Channels Television programme anchored by Laolu Akande, where he discussed the international dimensions of Nigeria's politics ahead of the 2027 general election.

The lawyer argued that the growing tendency to litigate the character of Nigerian political leaders in foreign jurisdictions stems from weak accountability mechanisms at home.

According to him, "the reason why our presidential elections are internationalised is because of the weak rule of law at home in Nigeria. If people had been held accountable for their actions in Nigeria, we would not need to be going to foreign fora to pursue some kind of accountability."

Speaking on the long-standing controversies surrounding President Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku, Ogebe maintained that both men have documented legal issues in the United States, although of different nature.

"Both President Tinubu and Vice President Atiku have legal messes in the U.S., and both of them were related to money laundering," he said.

He explained that Atiku's case arose from a United States congressional investigation into illicit foreign funds and was legislative rather than criminal.

"In the case of Atiku, he was never charged in court. What happened was that the U.S. Congress did a comprehensive investigation about illicit foreign funds and Atiku was used as the primary case study. I believe the amount involved was about $40 million. That is what is on record, a legislative record; it is not a criminal record," Ogebe stated.

On the corruption case involving former U.S. Congressman William Jefferson, Ogebe, who said he was consulted by Jefferson's legal team, argued that Atiku was never the target of the prosecution.

"Jefferson claimed to have collected money that he was going to give Atiku as a bribe. I think it was $100,000. On reading the case, I knew that it was fake. Atiku can dash you $100,000; he cannot collect $100,000 from you. It was Jefferson who was the primary target and who was convicted," he added.

Turning to President Tinubu, Ogebe said the circumstances were different because they involved judicial proceedings by the U.S. Department of Justice.

"When we go to Tinubu's case, his case is different in the sense that there was an actual court proceeding by the Department of Justice against him for money laundering, but this did not involve illicit influence from Nigeria or corruption money. It involved illicit drug finances," he said.

Ogebe then contrasted both politicians with Peter Obi, insisting the former Anambra State governor has no criminal issues in the United States.

"Even though Peter Obi has no criminal case in the U.S., he is spotless," he said.

However, he claimed Obi's running mate had recently come under scrutiny in the United States.

"Guess what? His vice-presidential candidate, Kwankwaso, recently became a subject of interest in the U.S. Congress and has been blacklisted for religious persecution. I think that was an unfortunate call. Kano is a very problematic state for religious freedom, but I think he should not have been the ideal person to have been cited," Ogebe stated.

When informed by the programme's anchor that Kwankwaso had recently claimed his name had been removed from the list, Ogebe said he could not immediately confirm the development.

"I'm not aware that has happened, and we will check with our contacts in Congress. It is possible that during the reconciliation process between both chambers, things can be added or removed. So we'll check to confirm," he said.

On the recurring exchange of corruption allegations between the Tinubu and Atiku political camps, Ogebe dismissed the narrative as a distraction from governance.

"I don't know whether it was Fela who sang the song, 'you be thief, I no be thief.' We have a kettle and a pot contesting against each other over which one is blacker at the bottom. That is a distraction," he said.

He further argued that governance performance, rather than mutual accusations, should define electoral campaigns.

"When Tinubu was governor of Lagos, he essentially transformed the state. When Atiku was Vice President, he wielded enormous influence over state resources. Anything one accuses the other of, the other has a finger pointing back at him," Ogebe said.

Using Abia State Governor Alex Otti as an example, he said strong performance eliminates the need for political mudslinging.

"Out of the 36 governors seeking second terms, if you want to count those whose re-election is almost beyond doubt because of performance, you will start with Labour governor Alex Otti. In Abia State, people are already asking whether his wife can succeed him when his tenure ends. That tells you the impact he has made."

He concluded by arguing that the Tinubu administration has yet to replicate at the national level what many supporters credit the President with achieving as governor of Lagos State.

"The Tinubu who revolutionised Lagos has not left the same fingerprints or footprints on the governance of Nigeria in the past three years. That is why they are fighting over distractions instead of talking about performance," Ogebe said.