The political temperature spiked again yesterday as a former APC lawmaker fired back at the opposition, accusing them of dragging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through what he called a tired script of smear and innuendo.
Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, ex-APC legislator from Osun, said the latest buzz that a U.S. court had “reopened” a drug-trafficking case against Tinubu was pure election-season theater.
‘No Retrial, No Verdict’ — The FOIA Fight Explained
Speaking in Osogbo, Oyintiloye insisted there was no criminal case on the table.
“No U.S. court has reopened or ordered a retrial against Tinubu. No American judge has pronounced him guilty of drug trafficking,” he said.
What is in court, he explained, is a Freedom of Information Act suit — a request for documents from the FBI and DEA, not a prosecution.
“An FOIA case is about access to government records. It is not a criminal trial,” he said, adding that law-enforcement files often contain leads and third-party claims that are never proven.
He cited FOIA Exemption 7(C), which shields personal privacy in such records, and warned Nigerians against a dangerous “trial by document.”
Ghosts of 1999 and 2023 Return
Oyintiloye said the timing was familiar.
At every major political turn, he noted, old allegations resurface — from questions over academic credentials during Tinubu’s eight years as Lagos governor, to similar attacks in the 2023 presidential race.
“Instead of engaging Nigerians on governance, they recycle certificate forgery, criminality and drug claims,” he chided.
‘Show Us Your Manifesto, Not Blackmail’
The APC chieftain challenged Atiku and other opposition leaders to drop the drama and present policies.
“Privacy is not a crime. An investigation is not a conviction. A document is not automatically a fact. Tell Nigerians what you have on the table and why they should vote for you,” he said.
He urged the media and voters to judge politicians by records and ideas, not recycled headlines.
