By our reporter
The last has not been heard on the past personal details pertaining to the life of President Bola Tinubu.
This is because a United States (US) District Court for the District of Columbia (DC) has ordered the Federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI) to make public, information about the President.
Recall that his past featured prominently during the campaign for the 2023 presidential election, in which Nigeria’s electoral umpire declared Tinubu winner, as well as during the legal fireworks by opposition candidates, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP) who approached the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT) and the Supreme Court to void Tinubu’s victory on the basis,among others, that he was not qualified to contest for the country’s presidency.
Those occurrences were during the era of US President Joe Biden, a Democrat.
Central to the controversy was the allegation that Tinubu forfeited $460,000 to the US government in 1993 after authorities linked the funds to proceeds of narcotics trafficking.
However, Judge Beryl Howell of the District Court of DC last week ordered that his past be made public.
This fresh development is coming under the current US Republican presidency of Donald Trump.
The latest development came on the heels of a motion by Aaron Greenspan, an American who is seeking a reconsideration of an earlier ruling which stopped the release of the details.
According to Judge Howell, protecting the information from public disclosure is “neither logical nor plausible.”
Greenspan had accused the FBI of violating the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by failing to release within the statutory time “documents relating to purported federal investigations into” Tinubu and one Abiodun Agbele.
Both Atiku and Obi had challenged Tinubu’s eligibility to run for president,citing this forfeiture matter and other issues which they claimed violated constitutional provisions and made Tinubu ineligible to contest for president in the first place.
But, both the PEPT and the Supreme Court threw out the opposition candidates’ prayers and confirmed Tinubu’s election as being in order.
However, it appears interesting details are set to be unfurled as Judge Howell on Tuesday ruled partly in favour of Greenspan.
Apparently lambasting both the FBI and US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Judge Howell said that they failed to show that they properly invoked the FOIA.
Meanwhile, Minister of Works, Dave Umahi has declared that President Tinubu and Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, will do two terms of eight years in office,no matter the threats to their seats.
He spoke during the launch of the second phase construction of Kaduna-Abuja-Kano road project.
Upbraiding the Atiku and former Kaduna State Gov. Nasir El-Rufai-led coalition which has vowed to unseat Tinubu in 2027, the Minister said the coalition would fail.
Atiku, El-Rufai and few former governors had met with Tinubu’s immediate predecessor, former President Muhammadu Buhari, and some opposition figures in Buhari’s Kaduna home,last Friday.
El-Rufai has been having a running battle with his successor, Sani, over governance style.
But, assuring Gov. Sani of a second term, Umahi said: “I want to assure you, my dear Governor Uba Sani that I’m also a prophet.
“It was only David in the Bible that was prophet and a preacher, and God has told me that you will do eight years, and Bola Ahmed Tinubu will do eight years. The voice of God is the voice of men.
“But let me advise the so-called coalition and opposition: when you are in opposition, you are doing constructive opposition, not destructive ones.
“You have to provide alternatives to what you are criticizing. Talk is cheap and the work is very easy when you are not the one doing it.
“Opposition is to provide alternatives. I have never seen any opposition providing an alternative to anything; but I want to thank the president and financial institutions just a few days ago said the reforms of Mr President are working.
“They said the Nigerian financial issue is upgraded and the World Bank said so. So, who is the opposition that darkens counsel without knowledge?
“Nigeria is working and the worst is over. God is with us and He will take us to the promised land.”
