President Bola Tinubu’s long-running battle over access to US government records linked to a historical investigation has taken a new turn as the 2027 presidential race gathers pace, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation asking a Washington court for permission to privately explain why it is withholding some records concerning the Nigerian president.
The request was contained in an application on Thursday, filed before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, where the FBI said it could not publicly disclose the full basis for withholding some of the information.
The agency is seeking permission to file the declaration ex parte and under seal, meaning that the document would be submitted privately for the judge’s consideration and would not be made available to the public.
The development represents the latest stage in a long-running Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) dispute brought by Aaron Greenspan, an American businessman and PlainSite founder, who has sought records from several US federal agencies relating to investigations dating back to the early 1990s.
The FBI’s latest application was published on X on Thursday by Von Batten-Montague-York, a Washington-based lobbying firm recently engaged by former Nigerian Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
