Tinubu’s Bid To Withhold US Records Is ‘Profoundly Embarrassing’ — Peter Obi

Peter Obi, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his efforts to prevent the release of US records connected to investigations concerning him.

Obi expressed his views in a statement titled “A President and the Endless Question of His Past,” released on Sunday.

His reaction followed Tinubu’s request to a US court to dismiss a move seeking the release of additional documents linked to investigations involving the Nigerian president.

Tinubu joined the case as an intervenor and asked the US District Court for the District of Columbia to permit the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to continue withholding or redacting parts of records already made public.

The president’s lawyers argued that US privacy laws protect information about individuals and that the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) does not provide a legal basis for releasing private information.

The case started after Aaron Greenspan, the founder of PlainSite, filed FOIA requests seeking records connected to Tinubu. Among the documents requested were FBI interview records from 1992 and 1993.

The records relate to an investigation into a Chicago-based heroin trafficking network that operated during the early 1990s. Tinubu was one of four individuals named in Greenspan’s requests.

In April 2025, US District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the FBI and DEA had acted improperly by refusing to confirm or deny whether they had records concerning Tinubu.

She ordered both agencies to search for relevant documents and process those that were not protected from disclosure under the law.

The agencies later released thousands of pages, although some portions were redacted.

Greenspan subsequently asked the court to compel the release of additional information.

Reacting to the development, Peter Obi said it was “profoundly embarrassing” that Tinubu is trying to withhold records considered a matter of public interest.

“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

The ADC candidate said leaders should be willing to answer questions about their past, accept responsibility for mistakes and provide honest explanations when doubts arise.

“Leadership, in my humble view, demands the courage and humility to confront one’s history — to acknowledge mistakes, provide candid explanations where questions arise, and, where necessary, apologise and seek forgiveness.

“True authority is strengthened, not diminished, when a leader accepts responsibility rather than seeks to shield uncomfortable aspects of the past from legitimate scrutiny,” he said.

The former Anambra State governor further pointed to questions surrounding Tinubu’s educational background.

“This becomes particularly important when questions concern educational credentials. Issues surrounding foundational schooling — primary and secondary — should not remain unresolved or be addressed primarily through legal proceedings.

“Nigerians deserve clear, credible, and verifiable explanations, especially when such had been submitted in the past,” Obi said.

He said the issue goes beyond Tinubu because the conduct of people in the highest offices can influence the values of millions of Nigerians, especially young people in schools.

“My deepest concern is the example this sets for more than 200 million Nigerians, particularly the over 30 million young people in schools.

“The nation’s highest office should exemplify integrity, accountability, transparency, and ethical leadership,” he added.

He also urged Nigerian politicians to understand that personal ambitions are temporary, while the interests and reputation of the country remain much more important.

“When will our political class fully appreciate that individual ambitions are temporary, while the nation endures?

“The Presidency is an office held for a season; the moral standards established by those who occupy it can influence generations.

“Nigeria is greater than any one person, and the integrity of the Republic must always come before the interests of the individual,” Obi added.

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