Shehu Sani Sounds Alarm Over Opposition's US Lobby Against Tinubu
- Senator Shehu Sani called out opposition groups for engaging US lobby firms to target President Tinubu's administration
- Sani warned the move could expose ordinary Nigerians to visa restrictions and international sanctions
- His post drew fierce pushback from Nigerians who accused him of hypocrisy over APC's similar tactics against Jonathan in 2014
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
FCT, Abuja - Senator Shehu Sani has publicly condemned what he described as efforts by Nigeria's opposition to engage American lobby groups against President Bola Tinubu's administration.
The former Kaduna Central senator warned that such campaigns could backfire on ordinary Nigerians.
Source: Twitter
Sani said lobbying foreign governments to criminalise a sitting Nigerian president was both "unconscionable and unpatriotic."
He stated this in a post shared on his verified X account @ShehuSani on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
The post, which drew over 186,000 views within hours, was a direct response to reports that opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, had been engaging US lobby groups as part of efforts to mount pressure on the Tinubu administration.
Sani warns of diplomatic fallout
The APC chieftain argued that such moves, even where they fail to achieve their intended goals, could severely damage Nigeria's standing abroad.
He said the risk of sanctions and visa restrictions was real, and that it was ordinary citizens who would ultimately bear the consequences.
"The opposition should fight and struggle for power within the borders of our country. Seeking foreign help for regime change in a democratic setting is wrong."
He stopped short of naming any individual or group directly, but the timing and content of the post pointed clearly at opposition activity linked to Atiku's camp.
Nigerians push back hard
The post triggered a wave of criticism from users who questioned Sani's consistency.
Many pointed to reports that the APC itself pursued a similar approach ahead of the 2015 general elections, when it was in opposition against then-President Goodluck Jonathan.
@ileada01 defended the opposition's approach, writing:
"I don't blame them. I support their steps because they have tried it within the Nigerian border, and they turned down justice. The Nigerian system has failed them."
@chorosis101 was more pointed in his criticism of Sani:
"Funny. Tinubu did the same against Jonathan, but now it's 'unpatriotic'? Principles shouldn't change because your side is in power. Shehu Sani, this sounds less like conviction and more like angling for a share of the national cake. Nigerians haven't forgotten."
@AndreAretha2021 was equally blunt:
"Reading this from a damaged man looking for redemption; I see @ShehuSani as being overly patriotic when it's convenient and beneficial."
@_pistism rejected the framing entirely:
"There is nothing unpatriotic about simply telling President Trump what the man did in the past. It's left for Trump to decide what to do with the information."
Others focused their frustration on the government itself. @Eze_De_Analyst wrote:
"Nigerian government have no reputation whatsoever. The government of Bola Tinubu is nothing but a criminal government."
@mouththfeelsca1 directed blame at the political class broadly:
"You politicians have damaged this great nation beyond repair."
Atiku's lobbyist sends file on Tinubu to Trump
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a Washington lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, began distributing over 60 pages of DOJ documents on Tinubu to Trump, its officials and Congress.
The firm was hired by Atiku Abubakar in March 2025 under a 12-month, $1.2 million contract to counter the Nigerian government's lobbying efforts in the US.
The documents centre on a 1993 civil forfeiture case tied to a hèròìn tràffìckìng investigation in which Tinubu's name appeared in federal court records.
Source: Legit.ng
