The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi says President Bola Tinubu’s fight against the release of his alleged criminal record by U.S. authorities is “profoundly embarrassing” to Nigeria.
The former Anambra State governor posted on X on Monday that he is deeply saddened by the direction in which his country Nigeria is heading.
“It is profoundly embarrassing that we have reached a point where a sitting president (Mr Tinubu) is asking a foreign court to withhold records concerning his past, particularly records relating to matters of legitimate public interest.
“Leadership, in my humble view, demands the courage and humility to confront one’s history — to acknowledge mistakes, provide candid explanations where questions arise, and, where necessary, apologise and seek forgiveness. True authority is strengthened, not diminished, when a leader accepts responsibility rather than seeks to shield uncomfortable aspects of the past from legitimate scrutiny,” Obi wrote.
He challenged Mr. Tinubu to explain his controversial educational record.
According to him, the president is setting a dangerous precedent.
“This becomes particularly important when questions concern educational credentials. Issues surrounding foundational schooling — primary and secondary — should not remain unresolved or be addressed primarily through legal proceedings. Nigerians deserve clear, credible, and verifiable explanations, especially when such had been submitted in the past,” Mr Obi said.
“My deepest concern is the example this sets for more than 200 million Nigerians, particularly the over 30 million young people in schools. The nation’s highest office should exemplify integrity, accountability, transparency, and ethical leadership,” he said.
Obi noted that an imperfect past is part of the human condition, adding that what matters is the willingness to confront it with humility, honesty, and deep apology.
He added that it was important to make amends where necessary and when circumstances demand, to put the nation’s interests above personal ambition.
“When will our political class fully appreciate that individual ambitions are temporary, while the nation endures? The Presidency is an office held for a season; the moral standards established by those who occupy it can influence generations. Nigeria is greater than any one person, and the integrity of the Republic must always come before the interests of the individual,” he said.
Obi was reacting to the legal battle before Judge Howell Beryl of the U.S. District Court over the request by a Washington-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C, hired by former Nigerian Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar to order the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to release Tinubu’s files.
The Nigerian president is pushing back, saying that the release would cause him “irreparable damage.” But the Plaintiff’s argues that it is in the public interest that his files are released
In a 16-page court filing, Tinubu’s lawyers asked the court to block the release of records held by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), FBI and DEA.
Over the weekend, the FBI hand-delivered records of Mr Tinubu’s 1993 drug-trafficking and money-laundering case to the Judge, pleading that they are for her eyes only.
The submission was in response to the judge’s order.
The records were submitted as “under seal, ex parte, in camera declarations were hand delivered to the court on August 28, 2026 in compliance with this Court’s Minute Order dated August 20, 2026,” filings showed.
The FBI had also claimed that its informants and agents could face “violent retaliation” if it releases files on Mr Tinubu’s alleged drug trafficking and immigration records, as well as his links to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Meanwhile Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C has challenged claims that Tinubu was never criminally investigated by the FBI in connection with heroin trafficking, saying it had obtained a large volume of records from the FBI and was reviewing and redacting portions of the documents where necessary.
It said, “The FBI states under oath that the court has already determined that a criminal investigation of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu (@officialABAT) was officially acknowledged.
“Let that sink in: This is a sworn declaration submitted by the FBI to a U.S. federal court stating that Nigerian President Bola #Tinubu was criminally investigated in connection with the trafficking of #heroin.”
It further cited the FBI’s explanation for withholding some of the records under law-enforcement exemptions.
The firm quoted the FBI as stating that “the responsive records herein were compiled in furtherance of the FBI’s investigation of multiple individuals for drug trafficking crimes.”
President Tinubu on Sunday embarked on a three-week vacation in Europe.
However, National Chairman of the People’s Redemption Party, PRP, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed mocked in Abuja on Monday that President Tinubu had to embark on an emergency overseas trip in a bid to forestall the possible release of documents concerning him by the FBI.