Breaking: Tinubu Joins Push to Delay Release of US Records, But Judge Rejects 10-Day Extension
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally joined a request by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) for additional time to comply with a court process involving records linked to an old US investigation concerning him.
The development was disclosed in a fresh filing obtained by Washington-based firm Von Batten-Montague-York, as the long-running legal battle over the requested records enters another critical stage.
In a post on X, Von Batten-Montague-York said it obtained a copy of a filing made on Tinubu’s behalf two business days earlier. According to the firm, the Nigerian President formally joined the DOJ’s request for a 10-day extension.
However, the firm reported that US District Judge Beryl Howell rejected the request.
The latest development follows an earlier ruling in the long-running Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation involving requests for records from the US Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) concerning Tinubu.
The case, identified as Greenspan v. Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys et al., has been pending since 2023.
Earlier proceedings in the case resulted in the court directing US agencies to process and release records that are not exempt from disclosure, rather than relying on blanket refusals to confirm or deny whether the requested records existed.
The latest filing has renewed attention on Tinubu’s decision to join the US government’s request for additional time.
Von Batten-Montague-York alleged that the Nigerian President could use the requested delay to engage contacts in Washington and argue that releasing the records could adversely affect US-Nigeria relations and cooperation in areas such as counterterrorism and national security.
The firm also warned that any US government personnel who improperly attempt to interfere with the judicial or FOIA process on Tinubu’s behalf should be held accountable.
Those claims remain allegations made by the firm and should not be treated as established evidence that Tinubu or US officials have attempted to interfere with the court process.
The records at the centre of the dispute relate to a longstanding US FOIA case seeking documents connected to a 1990s narcotics investigation in which Tinubu’s name appeared in US records.
The existence of the litigation and previous court orders concerning the requested records is documented. However, the release of such records would not, by itself, establish criminal wrongdoing by Tinubu.
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The latest filing therefore introduces a new development into an already closely watched legal dispute, with Tinubu now reported to have formally joined the US government in seeking additional time while the court has rejected the proposed 10-day extension.
Attention will now turn to the court’s next directive and whether the requested records will ultimately be released to the public.
