A disagreement ensued between former Kaduna Central senator Shehu Sani and Paul Ibe, media adviser to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday over the opposition’s decision to hire a United States lobbying firm to push for the release of documents relating to President Bola Tinubu’s alleged drug trafficking case, with both men disagreeing on the implications of the move for Nigeria.

The exchange followed reports that Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., a Washington-based lobbying firm engaged by Atiku, had begun distributing United States Department of Justice records on alleged drug trafficking involving Tinubu to officials in the Donald Trump administration, members of Congress and senior congressional aides.

Reacting on his X account on Wednesday, Sani criticised the move, describing it as unpatriotic and capable of damaging Nigeria’s international standing.

“Engaging US lobby groups to criminalise the President and his administration and curry favour from the US Government is unconscionable and unpatriotic,” he wrote.

According to the former lawmaker, such actions could expose Nigeria to diplomatic consequences without achieving their intended objective.

“It may not achieve its objectives but will undoubtedly damage the international reputation of the country, escalate global repudiation against our citizens and lead us into the traps of sanctions and visa restrictions,” Sani said.

He added that opposition parties should pursue power through democratic means within Nigeria rather than seeking foreign intervention.

“The opposition should fight and struggle for power within the borders of our country. Seeking foreign help for regime change in a democratic setting is wrong,” he stated.

Responding shortly afterwards, Ibe defended the decision to retain a lobbying firm, arguing that there was nothing improper about the move.

“There’s nothing wrong with hiring a lobbyist, especially when you are confronted with a dictatorship,” he wrote.

Ibe also alleged that the Tinubu administration had previously spent public funds on lobbying in the United States.

“Recall that six months ago, Tinubu splurged $9 million of Nigeria’s hard-earned money on a US lobby firm,” he said.

The Atiku aide argued that the real issue was Tinubu’s past forfeiture of $460,000 to US authorities over alleged drug trafficking, insisting Nigerians had a right to know the contents of the FBI and DOJ records.

“Do Nigerians deserve to know what is in the FBI and DOJ files about Tinubu? Yes. Nigerians are entitled to know everything about their President or a prospective President,” Ibe said.

He further challenged Tinubu’s supporters to allow the release of the records if they had “nothing to hide.”

Ibe also ended his response with a personal remark directed at Sani, referencing what he described as “unfinished business” dating back to Sani’s chairmanship of a Senate ad hoc committee that investigated former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal.

“I will encourage you to honour your outstanding commitment to me. I don’t want it to be a subject of public discussion,” he wrote.

Robinson Ewor, former Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Acting Chairman, has insisted that Governor Sim Fubara is the problem of Rivers State and not the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike.

Ewor claimed that a wrong perception was presented to the people of Rivers State when the war between Wike and Fubara started.

The face-off between Wike and Fubara over who heads the political structure in Rivers State led to the governor’s suspension for six months.

Following interventions from President Bola Tinubu and other relevant stakeholders, the duo resolved their crisis but the governor lost out during the All Progressives Congress, APC, primary election.

Yesterday, Fubara announced that the state would embrace the Rainbow Coalition propagated by Wike.

However, speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show, Ewor said: “Perception is different from reality. What I knew then and what I know now are two different things. Then, the perception was that Wike didn’t allow the governor, Fubara, to function.

“Today, we have come to realize that the problem of the state wasn’t Wike, it was the inability of Sim, the Governor himself, to be open to the people of Rivers.

“When the war started, what was presented to us was that Wike doesn’t allow the governor to do his work, that was what they presented to Rivers people.

“But Today that story has changed, even ourselves we have realized that Wike wasn’t stopping the governor from discharging his duties, so the information we had then and what we have now are two different things.

“The fact before Rivers people then and the facts before we the supporters of Fubara Today are not the same facts.”

The Cross River State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has alleged that an illegal voter registration exercise is being carried out at the Dan Archibong Lodge within the Government House in Calabar by persons it claimed are acting on behalf of the state government.

In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Prince Mike Ojisi, on Thursday, the opposition party described the alleged exercise as a serious threat to the integrity of the electoral process and called for an immediate investigation by relevant authorities.

The PDP urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, the Department of State Services, DSS, and other security agencies to investigate the allegation, identify those responsible, and prosecute anyone found culpable in accordance with the law.

According to the party, any attempt to conduct unauthorised or fraudulent voter registration could undermine the credibility of future elections and erode public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.

The party reiterated its commitment to free, fair and credible elections and appealed to residents of Cross River State to remain calm, law-abiding and vigilant while the appropriate authorities investigate the matter.

Efforts to obtain the reaction of the ruling APC were unsuccessful. Several telephone calls and text messages sent to the Cross River State APC Chairman, Chris Eta, were not responded to as of the time of filing this report.

However, the Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Fred Abua, denied the allegation, saying: “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Nothing of such is taking place.”