Tinubu US Records: Yoruba Ronu Demands Full Disclosure
The Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum has intensified calls for transparency over United States records relating to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, arguing that the fullest lawful disclosure of the documents could help resolve lingering public controversy surrounding the matter.
President of the group, Chief Akin Malaolu, said Nigerians deserve credible answers concerning records at the centre of ongoing litigation in the United States, while stressing that the existence of an investigation does not amount to a conviction or proof of criminal wrongdoing.
Malaolu maintained that the controversy has gone beyond partisan politics because it touches on transparency, accountability and the international reputation of Nigeria’s highest political office.
The group consequently called on prominent Nigerian elder statesmen, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, former Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka and former President Goodluck Jonathan, to lend their voices to demands for clarity.
According to Yoruba Ronu, such national figures have previously spoken on issues affecting Nigeria’s democracy, institutions and international standing and should therefore encourage transparency in the present controversy.
Malaolu particularly raised questions about Obasanjo’s silence, noting that the former president was in office while Tinubu served as governor of Lagos State.
He argued that Nigerians were entitled to ask whether relevant Nigerian authorities at the time took sufficient steps to establish the facts surrounding issues that had attracted attention in the United States.
However, the Presidency has rejected suggestions that the current proceedings amount to a criminal prosecution against Tinubu.
According to the Presidency, the case before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia is a civil Freedom of Information Act dispute concerning access to government records and whether portions withheld or redacted by American agencies should be disclosed.
The Presidency said the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration had already released hundreds of pages of records, with portions withheld under exemptions provided by U.S. law. The court has not charged or convicted Tinubu in the proceedings.
Yoruba Ronu similarly acknowledged the distinction between an investigation and proof of wrongdoing, insisting that its intervention should not be interpreted as a declaration of guilt against the President.
Instead, the group argued that greater lawful disclosure could be beneficial to all sides.
Malaolu said that if the disputed records establish no wrongdoing by Tinubu, their lawful disclosure could help put the controversy to rest. Where legitimate questions remain, he said Nigerians should be given an opportunity to have them addressed through a credible and transparent process.
The organisation also urged Tinubu to support the fullest disclosure permitted under U.S. law and provide Nigerians with clear answers concerning the controversy.
It warned political actors against allowing partisan interests ahead of the 2027 general election to overshadow questions of national integrity and accountability.
Yoruba Ronu maintained that Nigeria’s interests must remain above those of any individual, political party or ethnic group, arguing that transparency remains the strongest route towards resolving the controversy and preventing continuing speculation.
