According to Daily Post Nigeria on Thursday, July 23, 2026, retired American mental health counsellor Jeffrey Guterman has said the lobbying campaign reportedly initiated by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over President Bola Tinubu’s alleged past forfeiture case in the United States will not stop the President from winning the 2027 presidential election.
Guterman made the remarks in a post on his X account while reacting to reports that Washington-based lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., engaged by Atiku, had begun circulating documents relating to Tinubu’s alleged 1993 US civil forfeiture case to officials in President Donald Trump’s administration, members of Congress and congressional staff.
According to the reports, the lobbying firm is distributing records from the United States Department of Justice concerning allegations linked to a civil forfeiture proceeding involving funds reportedly connected to Tinubu.
The development follows reports that Atiku signed a 12-month lobbying contract with the US-based firm in March, valued at $1.2 million, to undertake advocacy, diplomatic engagement and present his views on issues relating to Nigeria-United States relations.
Reacting to the reported lobbying effort, Guterman argued that it would not significantly influence the outcome of Nigeria’s next presidential election.
He wrote: “Let’s be honest with ourselves. The U.S. lobbying effort to reveal Nigeria President Tinubu’s drug trafficking will do nothing. He will probably win in 2027 due to propaganda news on Tinubu.
“I affirm that Tinubu will win in 2027 unless on election day rigging and violence, like there was in 2023, is stopped….See More