Ogebe: Tinubu, Atiku using corruption allegations to distract Nigerians

United States-based Nigerian lawyer and human rights advocate, Emmanuel Ogebe, has described the exchange of corruption allegations between President Bola Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as a distraction from what he called Nigeria’s governance failures.

Ogebe also claimed that Tinubu has become more vulnerable in the United States following the departure of the administration that, according to him, had previously offered him political cover.

He made the remarks during an interview on Inside Sources monitored by The Eagle Online.

Speaking on the corruption accusations dominating the political space ahead of the 2027 elections, Ogebe said neither camp was in a strong position to accuse the other.

According to him, “We have a kettle and a pot contesting against each other, which one is blackest at the bottom.

“That is a distraction.”

He argued that the focus should instead be on governance and performance.

“When Tinubu was governor of Lagos, he essentially bought off the state. When Atiku was Vice President, he essentially bought off state resources.

“So anything one accuses one, the other has a finger pointing at them.”

Ogebe maintained that President Tinubu had failed to replicate in Nigeria what many considered his achievements as governor of Lagos State.

“Tinubu revolutionized Lagos. We have not seen his fingerprint or his footprints in his governance of Nigeria in the past three years.

“This is why they are fighting on their distractions,” he further noted.

The lawyer further alleged that Tinubu’s standing in the United States had changed with the exit of the previous American administration.

He claimed the former U.S. government had been sympathetic to Tinubu for political reasons but that the situation had shifted under the current administration.

According to Ogebe, “The democratic government actually gave him a lot of cover.

“That regime… has left and for the first time he finds himself very vulnerable on the U.S. side.”

He added that recent developments in the U.S. Congress concerning Nigeria, including discussions around religious freedom and foreign assistance, reflected growing attention on the Tinubu administration.

Ogebe also cited recent criticism surrounding the retention of Vice President Kashim Shettima on the ruling party’s 2027 ticket as another factor drawing scrutiny from Washington.

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