APC chieftain accuses opposition of misleading Nigerians over Tinubu’s alleged US drug case

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President Tinubu

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A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has dismissed claims that the United States has reopened a drug-trafficking case against President Bola Tinubu.

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Oyintiloye described the claims as falsehoods by the opposition aimed at misleading Nigerians and garnering sympathy ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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He said this while speaking with newsmen on Sunday in Osogbo, warning opposition leaders against spreading what he described as falsehood.

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He also described the claim as political propaganda aimed at distracting Nigerians.

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Oyintiloye therefore urged Nigerians and the media to avoid what he described as “trial by document”.

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He said the controversy was part of a recurring pattern of allegations against Tinubu, particularly at critical points in his political career.

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The former lawmaker noted that Tinubu had spent decades in Nigeria’s political space and had faced several controversies during the period.

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He recalled that allegations concerning Tinubu’s academic credentials generated extensive public and media debate during his two-term tenure as Lagos State Governor between 1999 and 2007, while similar allegations resurfaced during the 2023 presidential campaign.

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Oyintiloye accused opposition elements of “recycling allegations bordering on certificate forgery, criminality and drug trafficking instead of engaging Nigerians on substantive issues of governance”.

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He challenged them to offer credible alternatives through clear policies and programmes capable of improving the lives of Nigerians.

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The former lawmaker said no U.S. court had reopened or ordered a criminal retrial against Tinubu, adding that no American judge had pronounced the President guilty of drug trafficking.

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He said the matter generating controversy was a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit seeking access to records held by U.S. law-enforcement agencies, rather than a criminal prosecution or retrial.

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“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.

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Oyintiloye said the existence of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) records should not automatically be interpreted as proof of criminality.

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He further said investigative files could contain unproven allegations, leads or information supplied by third parties.

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The APC chieftain also cited FOIA Exemption 7(C), which provides protection for certain law-enforcement information where disclosure could constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.

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Oyintiloye said Nigeria’s democracy should move beyond personality attacks and campaigns of calumny.

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He said politicians should be judged on their ideas, manifestoes, records and performance, urging Nigerians to scrutinise political claims and distinguish between allegations, investigations, charges and convictions.

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“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.

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“The opposition should tell us their manifesto, not blackmail.

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Tell Nigerians what you have on the table and why they should vote for you,” he said. nannews.ng

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