The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, and the National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, criticised President Bola Tinubu on Monday, August 31, 2026, over the ongoing dispute surrounding the release of records concerning him in the United States.
The two opposition figures raised the issue separately on the same day.
While Baba-Ahmed spoke at an opposition political summit in Abuja, Obi, who was absent from the meeting, addressed the matter in a separate statement issued on August 31.
Obi was among prominent opposition figures who did not attend the summit. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde were also absent as representatives of opposition parties met to discuss plans for the 2027 elections.
In his statement titled A President and the Endless Question of His Past, Obi criticised Tinubu’s legal efforts to prevent the public release of some records held by US authorities.
He described the development as embarrassing and argued that a President should be willing to answer questions about his past, particularly where the information being sought is of public interest.
The controversy centres on records held by US agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The records are being sought through a Freedom of Information Act case in the United States. The dispute involves documents relating to a US investigation dating back to the early 1990s and a 1993 civil forfeiture case involving about $460,000 linked to Tinubu.
US authorities have opposed the release of some of the requested material, citing exemptions under American freedom of information laws. The agencies have argued that some information should remain protected because its disclosure could expose law-enforcement methods, confidential sources or other sensitive information.
Tinubu’s legal team has also challenged the release of some of the records, arguing that they should remain protected under US law.
The current case is a dispute over access to government records and is not a criminal prosecution against Tinubu. Tinubu has not been convicted of drug trafficking or money laundering in the United States.
At the opposition summit in Abuja on the same Monday, Baba-Ahmed also raised questions about Tinubu’s absence from Nigeria.
He questioned the simultaneous absence of Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima and asked who was in charge of the country while both leaders were away.
Baba-Ahmed also alleged that Tinubu’s overseas trip was connected to the dispute over the possible release of the FBI records.
That connection was an allegation by Baba-Ahmed and has not been independently established.
The separate comments by Obi and Baba-Ahmed therefore focused on the same controversy but came from different settings on August 31.
The issue has gained renewed political attention as opposition parties prepare for the 2027 elections, with questions about Tinubu’s past in the United States becoming part of the wider political contest.
