Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has urged the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to protect its investigators, sources and sensitive investigative methods without withholding records about President Bola Tinubu that can legally be made public.
Atiku made the call in a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, while reacting to the FBI’s request to file confidential explanations over its decision to withhold some records relating to investigations involving Tinubu.
The FBI had approached a US District Court in the District of Columbia, seeking permission to submit declarations ex parte and in camera, meaning the explanations would be presented privately to the court.
In its August 20 application, the agency argued that it could not publicly disclose all the reasons for withholding some of the records because doing so could expose sensitive information and potentially endanger lives.
But Atiku rejected the argument, saying the FBI could protect sensitive information while still releasing documents that are legally available for public scrutiny.
Atiku urged the FBI to safeguard its agents, confidential sources and legitimate investigative methods while redacting any information that US law requires to remain private.
However, he cautioned the agency against using those protections to shield Tinubu from lawful public scrutiny.
“The FBI says disclosure could endanger lives, but Nigerians are already suffering and dying as a result of the hardship caused by the Tinubu administration’s economic policies,” Atiku said.
“The FBI says disclosure could endanger lives. Which lives? Nigerians are already dying,” he said.
Atiku linked the hardship to the removal of the fuel subsidy.
According to him, the policy had affected transportation costs, food prices, production and employment.
He explained that rising fuel costs had increased transportation expenses, which in turn affected the prices of food and other goods while also putting pressure on businesses and jobs.
“Fuel affects transportation. Transportation affects food prices. Energy affects production. Production affects jobs. All of them determine whether an ordinary Nigerian family can survive until the end of the month,” Atiku said.
On the FBI records, Atiku stressed that his demand was not for the agency to expose undercover officers, confidential informants or investigative techniques.
Rather, he said the agency should release information that American law permits to be disclosed while properly redacting sensitive portions.
“This is not an attempt to interfere in Nigeria’s politics. It is a humanitarian and democratic appeal because Nigerians have the right to access information that can legitimately be made public about those who exercise enormous power over their lives,” Atiku said.
Atiku maintained that Nigerians deserved to know relevant information about the background and character of their leaders, particularly those who exercise significant authority over the country.
He urged the FBI to distinguish between information that genuinely requires protection and records that could be released without compromising its investigations.
