A United States-based political advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has indicated plans to present video evidence in an ongoing US court dispute involving Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) records linked to allegations concerning President Bola Tinubu.
The firm disclosed this in a post on its verified X account on Monday, saying it was amending its supplemental notice of evidentiary exhibits before the US court to include a transcript of the video.
According to the firm, the video relates to comments allegedly made by Adewale Tinubu, described by the firm as President Tinubu’s reported nephew, at an All Progressives Congress (APC) political event.
The firm said Adewale Tinubu claimed during the event that he had handled the Chicago case involving the President and had personally encouraged him to settle the matter.
However, the lobbying firm alleged that the official court records identify Patrick S. Coffey, Esq. as the lawyer who represented Tinubu in the case.
It further claimed that no court appearance, pleading, signature or other filing identified Adewale Tinubu as counsel in the proceeding.
Von Batten-Montague-York argued that the video could undermine President Tinubu’s effort to rely on privacy protections to prevent the release of FBI and DEA records concerning the allegations.
The firm contended that the public comments attributed to Adewale Tinubu could weaken any claim that the information contained in the records remained entirely private.
It also argued that voluntary public disclosure could reduce the privacy interests protected under Exemption 7(C) of the US Freedom of Information Act.
The firm said the video would demonstrate what it described as discrepancies between public statements about the Chicago proceedings and the official court record.
The case involves efforts to obtain records held by US law-enforcement agencies relating to Tinubu.
The lobbying firm maintained that the FBI and DEA should release the records, arguing that the public interest in the documents outweighs claims of privacy.
It further suggested that the records could eventually become public regardless of which political party controls the US administration.
The firm described the alleged drug-trafficking records as comparable to other high-profile government files that have attracted significant public interest.
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The latest development adds another dimension to the long-running controversy surrounding allegations concerning Tinubu’s past and records held by US authorities.
The firm’s planned submission of the video transcript is expected to form part of its arguments before the court as it challenges efforts to keep the records from public disclosure.
However, the allegations contained in the firm’s statement remain claims by the lobbying organisation and do not, by themselves, establish that President Tinubu committed drug-trafficking offences.
The legal dispute therefore remains centred on whether the requested government records should be disclosed under US freedom-of-information laws and applicable privacy exemptions.
