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Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his legal bid to prevent the further release of records relating to investigations allegedly involving him in the United States.
Obi spoke in a statement titled ‘A President and the Endless Question of His Past’, issued on Sunday, a day after Tinubu asked a United States court to reject a request for the release of additional records.
Tinubu, who joined the case as an intervenor, asked the US District Court for the District of Columbia to allow the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, and Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, to maintain redactions and withholdings in records already released.
The case followed Freedom of Information Act requests by Aaron Greenspan, founder of PlainSite, for records concerning Tinubu, including FBI interview records from 1992 and 1993.
The requests relate to investigative records concerning a Chicago heroin ring that operated in the early 1990s. Tinubu was among four individuals named in the requests.
Reacting to the development, Obi described it as “profoundly embarrassing” that a sitting president was asking a foreign court to withhold records concerning his past.
“It is profoundly embarrassing that we have reached a point where a sitting President is asking a foreign court to withhold records concerning his past, particularly records relating to matters of legitimate public interest,” Obi said.
He argued that leadership required the courage to confront one’s history, acknowledge mistakes and provide explanations where legitimate questions arise.
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Obi said this was particularly important when questions concerned educational credentials.
“Issues surrounding foundational schooling, primary and secondary should not remain unresolved or be addressed primarily through legal proceedings,” he said.
He added that Nigerians deserved “clear, credible, and verifiable explanations”, particularly where such information had previously been submitted.
Obi said his concern extended beyond Tinubu to the example being set for more than 200 million Nigerians, especially young people.
“The nation’s highest office should exemplify integrity, accountability, transparency, and ethical leadership,” he added.
He questioned when Nigeria’s political leaders would recognise that personal ambitions were temporary while the national interest endured.
“The Presidency is an office held for a season; the moral standards established by those who occupy it can influence generations,” Obi added.
Obi’s comments come as the US court considers further disclosure of records following an earlier ruling ordering the FBI and DEA to search for and process non-exempt documents responsive to Greenspan’s requests.
