A United States-based policy advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has called on opposition figures and other political actors in Nigeria to unite under what it described as a “Save Nigeria” platform ahead of the country’s upcoming election.
The firm made the call in a statement posted on its X account on Sunday, arguing that opposition candidates should not view the contest as a battle against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu alone, but against what it described as powerful interests in London, Paris and Brussels.
In the statement, the firm said it was reluctant to overstep its mandate but felt compelled to speak following a recent article by the London-based The Economist, which it alleged was part of a European effort to provide cover for Tinubu to rig the forthcoming election.
The firm urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, former Senate President Adebayo Saraki and other political figures and their supporters to unite under a common platform.
“The time has come for @atiku, @PeterObi, @seyimakinde, @Pres_Adebayo, and other candidates and their supporters to unite under a ‘Save Nigeria’ unity platform,” the firm said.
It further alleged that Tinubu was only a “proxy” for wider foreign interests which, according to the firm, were seeking to influence Nigeria’s resources and the future of its citizens.
“You are not running against President #Tinubu. He is just a proxy. You are running against powerful entities in London, Paris, and Brussels that believe Nigeria’s resources and its children’s future belong to them. The strings are real,” it said.
The US-based firm also appealed directly to Nigerians to unite across regional and ethnic lines, arguing that political differences should not translate into hostility among citizens from different parts of the country.
“Nigerians, you must come together and save your country. Your enemy is not your fellow #Nigerian from the West, the North, the East, or the South,” the firm said.
The statement, however, went further in its criticism of Tinubu, referring to him with an allegation of heroin trafficking and accusing him of mortgaging Nigeria’s future. The firm did not provide evidence for the allegation in the statement.
“Your political enemy is the alleged heroin trafficker named Bola Tinubu, who has mortgaged your country’s future,” it said.
The firm also questioned what another four years under Tinubu would mean for the country, urging Nigerians to consider the potential consequences of a continuation of his administration.
“If you think things are bad now, what do you think four more years of Bola #Tinubu will bring?” it asked.
The intervention adds another international voice to the increasingly heated political discourse ahead of Nigeria’s next general election, with the firm urging opposition figures to set aside their individual political interests and work together around what it described as a national “Save Nigeria” agenda.
