Key Points
- APC chieftain Olatunbosun Oyintiloye says the US has not reopened a criminal case against President Bola Tinubu.
- He says the matter concerns an FOIA lawsuit seeking access to US law-enforcement records, not a criminal retrial.
- Oyintiloye accuses opposition politicians of recycling allegations against Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.
Main Story
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has rejected claims that the United States has reopened a drug-trafficking case against President Bola Tinubu.
Oyintiloye said on Sunday in Osogbo that the claim was political propaganda being used by opposition elements to mislead Nigerians and gain sympathy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He urged politicians and the media to distinguish between allegations, investigations, criminal charges and convictions, warning against what he described as “trial by document”.
According to him, no US court has reopened or ordered a criminal retrial against Tinubu, while no American judge has found the President guilty of drug trafficking.
Oyintiloye said the legal matter generating public debate was instead a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit seeking access to records held by US law-enforcement agencies.
“An FOIA case is about access to government records. It is not a criminal trial, a retrial or a judicial declaration of guilt,” he said.
The former lawmaker said the existence of records held by agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) should not, by itself, be interpreted as evidence of criminality.
He added that investigative records could contain allegations that had not been proven, investigative leads or information provided by third parties.
The Issues
The controversy centres on the interpretation of US government records and the legal process through which such records may be sought.
Oyintiloye also cited FOIA Exemption 7(C), which protects certain law-enforcement information where its disclosure could constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.
He argued that the public should not treat the existence of a government document as proof that every allegation contained in it is established fact.
The APC chieftain said similar controversies had followed Tinubu throughout his political career, recalling debates over his academic credentials during his tenure as Lagos State governor from 1999 to 2007 and during the 2023 presidential campaign.
What’s Being Said
Oyintiloye accused opposition politicians of “recycling allegations bordering on certificate forgery, criminality and drug trafficking instead of engaging Nigerians on substantive issues of governance”.
He challenged opposition parties to present policies and programmes capable of improving the lives of Nigerians rather than focusing on allegations against the President.
“Privacy is not a crime. An investigation is not a conviction. A document is not automatically a fact simply because it bears the seal of a government agency.
“The opposition should tell us their manifesto, not blackmail. Tell Nigerians what you have on the table and why they should vote for you,” he said.
What’s Next
Oyintiloye urged Nigerians and the media to scrutinise political claims and examine the legal status and context of documents presented as evidence in political controversies.
He also called for political campaigns ahead of 2027 to focus on manifestoes, policy proposals, records and performance.
Bottom Line
Oyintiloye says the US matter involving records concerning Tinubu should not be described as a reopened criminal case or retrial. He has urged Nigerians to distinguish between investigative records and proven criminal convictions as political parties prepare for the 2027 elections.
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