Atiku signs $1.2m US lobbying deal to shape his reputation

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has retained a Washington-based lobbying firm at a cost of $1.2 million to improve his standing among American policymakers and counter what his camp perceives as unfavourable narratives promoted by the Nigerian government in the United States.

Documents filed with the US Department of Justice reveal that Atiku signed an agreement with Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. on March 9 and 10, 2026. The contract was executed by the firm’s managing partner, Karl Von Batten, and Nigerian politician Fabiyi Oladimeji on Atiku’s behalf.

Under the 12-month arrangement, payable in six instalments, the firm is tasked with a broad range of activities designed to reshape perceptions of the former vice-president in Washington’s political circles.

Central to the contract is an objective to “counterbalance” the Nigerian government’s lobbying narratives in the United States, while simultaneously advancing what the document describes as Atiku’s “leadership posture and policy vision” among key American stakeholders.

To achieve this, the firm will facilitate meetings between Atiku and US government officials, including members of Congress and executive branch officials, on issues ranging from democratic governance and regional stability to economic development and American engagement with Nigeria and West Africa more broadly.

The contract also mandates the firm to develop messaging strategies, manage perceptions and provide “reputational advisory services” — a package the filing describes as designed to “enhance understanding among US policymakers and relevant stakeholders” of Atiku’s political positions.

The engagement comes as Atiku is widely regarded as a frontrunner for the 2027 presidential race, positioning himself as the leading opposition figure against President Bola Tinubu. It also coincides with a deepening crisis within the African Democratic Congress — the platform Atiku and other opposition figures have gravitated toward — following INEC’s decision to derecognise rival factions within the party led by David Mark and Nafiu Bala.

In a dimension that adds a pointed political edge to the lobbying arrangement, Von Batten-Montague-York said it would engage US authorities — including President Donald Trump and Congress — over concerns that INEC’s decision against the ADC factions amounts to an undermining of Nigeria’s main opposition party.

The firm has also called on President Tinubu to ensure that future elections in Nigeria are conducted in a manner that is “beyond reproach” and genuinely reflective of the will of the electorate.