Ilorin — The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have urged the United States authorities to release the findings of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) report on alleged drug-trafficking records linked to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
President Tinubu has asked a United States federal court to block the further release of records linked to past investigations involving him, arguing that disclosure would violate his privacy rights.
Tinubu, who joined the case as an intervenor, made the request in a fresh filing before the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
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The President is urging the court to reject a motion for summary judgment filed by Aaron Greenspan, founder of PlainSite, and allow the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to retain redactions and withhold information from documents already released.
Greenspan had submitted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking records relating to Tinubu, including what he described as the "entire FBI file" on the Nigerian president and FBI interview records from 1992 to 1993.
The requests formed part of 12 FOIA applications submitted to six US federal agencies for investigative records connected to a Chicago heroin trafficking case from the early 1990s. Tinubu was among four individuals named in the requests.
In April 2025, US District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the FBI and DEA had improperly refused to confirm or deny whether they held records relating to Tinubu.
The judge subsequently ordered the agencies to search for and process non-exempt documents responsive to Greenspan's requests.
The agencies later released thousands of pages, although portions of the documents were redacted. They also provided a Vaughn index outlining the reasons for withholding specific information.
In his latest filing, Tinubu argued that FOIA was created to promote transparency about government operations and not to provide private information about individuals contained in government records.
The President's legal team contended that Greenspan's requests were primarily aimed at obtaining personal information about Tinubu rather than examining how the FBI, DEA or other US agencies carried out their official duties.
However, the Allied Peoples Movement, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Abubakar, said information that would not endanger lives, expose witnesses or compromise investigative techniques should be made public.
It argued that withholding the report could undermine Nigeria's security, democratic development and international reputation, particularly ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The APM also cited the 1993 $460,000 forfeiture judgment involving accounts allegedly traced to Tinubu, claiming that the matter raised constitutional questions about his eligibility to contest.
APM urged the United States authorities to assist Nigerians in their decision to elect a leader not encumbered by allegations and corruption cases.
Also, the Coordinator of the Elites Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSuD), Comrade Moshood Lanre Osho, said the law must take its course, stressing that nobody, including the president, was above the law.
Osho said if the allegations against President Bola Tinubu were established, he should be ready to face the consequences, adding that truth would eventually prevail regardless of attempts to suppress or delay the matter.
However, he supported the argument that the records being sought were personal to Tinubu and not connected to the affairs of the Nigerian government.
According to him, releasing the records while Tinubu is still in office could generate controversy and create tension between Nigeria and the United States.
He also called for transparency from the US authorities, while cautioning that the handling of the matter should not trigger a crisis or destabilise the country.
For his part, the Global Director of the Brian Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI), Abideen Olasupo, said transparency should apply equally to all political actors.
He said Nigerians deserved access to the antecedents of those seeking to govern them and should not assess politicians solely on their current performance in office.
"Transparency has no two names, and he who must come with equity must come with clean hands. There is a need for Nigerians to know the credibility of the kind of leaders who want to govern them," he said.
Olasupo said if the information being sought was a public record, similar inquiries could be made about other political figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State governor Peter Obi.
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He specifically referred to the long-running Halliburton controversy involving Atiku, saying Nigerians should also be allowed to know what transpired.
Olasupo said President Tinubu's efforts to obtain the records had made some Nigerians who previously believed he had nothing to hide begin to have doubts.
He maintained that Nigerians should be free to seek information about the backgrounds of politicians seeking to lead the country, stressing that transparency was particularly important for presidential candidates.
Olasupo also rejected the argument that the issue should be viewed only through the lens of politics, saying allegations concerning Atiku's dealings with the US could equally be subjected to scrutiny.
"If you want to rule the country, we should be free to seek information about those who want to govern us. I will urge Atiku to go deeper into this matter and let Nigerians know what actually transpired," he said.
