₦airaland Forum

Ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has hired a Washington-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., to strengthen his reputational standing in the United States.

Details of the deal are contained in documents filed with the U.S. Department of Justice, which show that the agreement was signed on March 9 and 10, 2026, by the firm’s managing partner, Karl Von Batten, and Nigerian politician Fabiyi Oladimeji on behalf of the former vice president.

According to the filing sighted on the DOJ’s website on Sunday, the contract is aimed at shaping perceptions of Atiku within U.S. policy circles and countering narratives linked to the Nigerian government.

One of the objectives of the engagement is to “counterbalance” the Nigerian government’s “lobbying narratives” in the United States, while also working to “advance understanding” of Atiku’s “leadership posture and policy vision” among policymakers.

Under the arrangement, the firm is expected to facilitate meetings between the former vice-president and U.S. government officials, including members of Congress, as well as provide advisory services on policy positioning and engagement strategy.

“These activities include lobbying and government affairs engagement with Members of Congress, congressional staff, and executive branch officials concerning issues related to democratic governance, regional stability, economic development, and U.S. engagement with Nigeria and the broader West African region,” part of the contract reads.

The firm will also undertake “promotion, perception management, and public relations activities designed to enhance understanding among U.S. policymakers and relevant stakeholders” of Atiku’s positions.

“This includes the development of messaging strategies, narrative positioning, and reputational advisory services,” the document added.

The agreement is valued at $1.2 million for a 12-month period, payable in six instalments.

The development comes as Atiku is widely seen as a potential contender in the 2027 presidential election, amid ongoing uncertainty within the African Democratic Congress, which he and other opposition figures have adopted.

AMINDA:
False. The ADC has engaged lobby groups to tender Tinubu's obstruction of democracy in Nigeria before Donald Trump and the international community. Nigerians know Tinubu lives in morbid fear of Trump.

LegendHero:
This is different from the one ADC did.

Atiku also did another one. You need to be current with happenings with your own party potential presidential candidate

AMINDA:
False. The ADC has engaged lobby groups to tender Tinubu's obstruction of democracy in Nigeria before Donald Trump and the international community. Nigerians know Tinubu lives in morbid fear of Trump. The lobby group will be engaging with Trump and other members of Congress on the matter. Tinubu is already in Trump's and Netanyahu's bad books. He should thread carefully.

Here's the group's tweet on the matter.

https://x.com/batten_von/status/2039806668351906006

LegendHero:
Atiku has always done this and even in 2022 he did the same thing.

He spent $5.5m back then in 2022. Check DOJ documents.

AMINDA abi you wan deny this too?

https://www.justice.gov/nsd-fara/page/file/1469821/dl?inline

AMINDA:
Lol. Really? Both Atiku and the ADC are using the same lobby group right? How much did the ADC pay for theirs? Certainly not 9.5m dollars. Isn't it miraculous how we went from "Atiku is broke" to "Atiku is paying 1.2 million dollars for lobbying?"

AMINDA:
Quick question, is Atiku broke or not? You can't be mouthing off two conflicting statements at the same time.

LegendHero:
Yes, Atiku is broke compared to what he used to be before. But Nigeria politicians have a million way to get money so even if he himself is personally broke, he got contacts everywhere that can make things happen.

AMINDA:
Noted. Now, tell us the crime committed if a presidential aspirant who isn't holding any current government position decides to hire a lobby group. It is part of the politicking process. Tell Tinubu to hire his own lobby group instead of attempting to undemocratically stifle all opposition and run unopposed.

TokoEkambi:
He wants to boost his reputation so that he may support obi. Another fantasy trip for those things.

LegendHero:
No crime. Now tell me the crime Tinubu committed when FG lobbied USA here. So why are you angry here?

AMINDA:
The difference is that Tinubu is in a position to actually do something about the killings as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces but prefers to splurge a whooping 9.5m dollars of tax payer's money to convince Trump that all is well in Nigeria. He went to Jos and couldn't even go beyond the airport out of fear and insensitivity. You can't hire lobby groups to cover that.

madridguy:
Atiku should stop worrying himself about 2027.

LegendHero:
Nope, he is doing what needs to be done. Even america spent over 20 years in Iraq on terrorism without winning it because it’s a guerrilla warfare.

When IPOB people went to lobby USA for Christian genocide claim with target to unseat the president, the FG need to set in and lobby and eventually won over Trump and his Christian genocide team.

Soon the Jazz Northern Nigeria is using on Nigeria will be lifted. We cannot keep sinking funds from the South to finance a self imposed war from the North while other part of the country is starved of funds for development.

Just wait a while, you will understand more.

AMINDA:
Indeed. "Southern Nigeria" but Chargoury is implementing 18 trillion naira projects in Nigeria, all in Lagos. What's in it for other parts of the South? If Tinubu shares your view, he wouldn't have desperately ran on a muslim-muslim ticket just to get elected. Northern Nigeria gave him 5.6m votes and made him president. Obi wiped him on the floor across the rest of the South, including in Lagos. That was why he ran to disenfranchise Obi from the Labour party and has continued to do the same in every other major political party. Tinubu is still unpopular in the South. Even more so than in the North.

P.S: 9 million dollars invested in the security architecture of Plateau state will go a long way in ending the killings. Or at least, ensure that there's electricity at the Jos airport so Tinubu can at least visit the victims in the state.

AMINDA:
False. The ADC has engaged lobby groups to tender Tinubu's obstruction of democracy in Nigeria before Donald Trump and the international community. Nigerians know Tinubu lives in morbid fear of Trump. The lobby group will be engaging with Trump and other members of Congress on the matter. Tinubu is already in Trump's and Netanyahu's bad books. He should thread carefully.

Here's the group's tweet on the matter.

https://x.com/batten_von/status/2039806668351906006

LegendHero:
Atiku has always done this and even in 2022 he did the same thing.

He spent $5.5m back then in 2022. Check DOJ documents.

AMINDA abi you wan deny this too?

https://www.justice.gov/nsd-fara/page/file/1469821/dl?inline

LegendHero:
Let him and his sponsor spend their money, Tinubu should just 5X the money and this time would we will use the federal government money for it.

Weray la fi’n wo werey. If they lobby with $5bn, we will lobby with $60bn. Na Atiku go tire

FSBoperator:
See this one dey form fact checker.

You no pass Punch Newspaper?

AMINDA:
Punch of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway propaganda media toilet papers? Yes.

FSBoperator:
Atiku also sponsored a delegation of northern governors and politicians to the US to lobby against GEJ's govt.

AMINDA:
Interesting. Except that it was Tinubu who left Lagos to Daura to convince a retired Buhari to come help get his Southern brother, Jonathan, out of office. This Southern agenda thing is not going as planned for you all. Even the NADECO and Obi thing backfired badly.

FSBoperator:
Fact remains that it was Atiku who formed nPDP that weakened the PDP and saw to a mass defection of PDP governors across the north to the APC.

It was same Atiku who sponsored a group of northern governors led by the then Governor of Niger state to both the US Congress and also the Council For Foriegn Relations, CfR.

These are facts.

Atiku ran away from the APC after failing to get their ticket.

Atiku remains the greatest enemy of PDP and GEJ.

So when your Agulu fraudster joined him in the PDP to contest against Buhari in 2019, did you see GEJ endorse Atiku/Obi?

Have you also asked why same GEJ went and met Tinubu to congratulate him when Tinubu was announced the winner?

Be doing circles like a beheaded chicken.