President Bola Tinubu has taken legal action in the United States to oppose the potential release of his confidential records by top U.S. security agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
The move comes in response to a motion filed by Aaron Greenspan, owner of PlainSite, a website advocating for legal data transparency, who had requested access to Mr. Tinubu’s records in 2022.
Tinubu’s attorney, Bryan A. Carey, has argued that his client would be “adversely affected” if the U.S. Court for the Northern District of Columbia in Washington D.C. were to deny his motion to intervene in the matter. The attorney stated that Mr. Tinubu’s interests are not fully represented or protected by the defendants and that these interests would suffer if he were not allowed to intervene.
In October, the FBI announced its intention to comply with the request and release the sought records in batches, with about 500 pages per month. This move had generated significant anticipation among Nigerians who hoped that the records would shed light on longstanding controversies surrounding Mr. Tinubu’s background and his alleged involvement in a narcotics case that resulted in the forfeiture of $460,000 in 1993.
This legal battle to keep his records hidden is reminiscent of Mr. Tinubu’s previous efforts to prevent his political opponent, Atiku Abubakar, from accessing his Chicago State University (CSU) records. The outcome of this latest legal challenge remains uncertain, leaving observers to wonder whether it will prove more successful than his previous attempts to shield his academic records.
President Bola Tinubu’s tenure, which is only five months old, has already been marred by a series of legal controversies, including allegations of electoral fraud, accusations of perjury regarding his Guinean citizenship status on an electoral form, claims of narcotics involvement, and the presentation of a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This new legal battle adds another layer of complexity to his presidency.
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