Nigeria’s former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has retained a Washington-based lobbying firm in a $1.2m (£950,000) effort to bolster his reputation in the United States, according to filings with the US Justice Department.
Documents lodged under the Foreign Agents Registration Act show that Von Batten-Montague-York L.C. was contracted in early March to undertake a year-long campaign aimed at reshaping perceptions of Atiku within American policy circles.
The agreement, signed on 9 and 10 March by the firm’s managing partner, Karl Von Batten, and Nigerian politician Fabiyi Oladimeji on Atiku’s behalf, outlines a strategy focused on countering what it describes as adverse narratives linked to the Nigerian government.
According to the filing, the firm will work to “counterbalance” official lobbying efforts from Abuja while advancing understanding of Atiku’s “leadership posture and policy vision” among US policymakers.
The scope of work includes facilitating high-level meetings with members of Congress and executive branch officials, as well as advising on policy positioning across issues such as democratic governance, regional stability, and economic development in West Africa.
It will also oversee messaging and reputational strategy, including public relations campaigns designed to improve Atiku’s standing among key stakeholders in Washington. The contract, valued at $1.2m over 12 months, will be paid in six installments.
The move comes as Atiku is widely viewed as a potential contender in Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election, amid uncertainty surrounding the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), which has recently attracted several high-profile figures.
The party, however, remains mired in a leadership dispute after the Independent National Electoral Commission declined to recognise rival factions led by David Mark and Nafiu Bala.
In a statement posted on X on 2 April, the lobbying firm said it would engage US authorities, including President Donald Trump and members of Congress, over INEC’s stance on the ADC crisis.
It warned that the commission’s decision had “effectively frozen Nigeria’s main opposition political party at a critical moment”, raising concerns about the ability of opposition forces to organise ahead of the next election.
The firm also called on President Bola Tinubu to ensure that future elections are “beyond reproach” and reflect the will of the electorate—a sign that the battle for international opinion may increasingly mirror Nigeria’s intensifying domestic political contest.
