By Chief Malcolm Omirhobo
LAGOS AUGUST 24TH (NEWSRANGERS)-Let nobody misunderstand my position. This is not about defending Tinubu. If there are credible allegations against him, Nigerians are entitled to know the truth and to hold their leaders accountable.
What I reject is the hypocrisy, manipulation and imperialistic attitude of the United States towards Nigeria.
Where was this sudden enthusiasm for disclosure before Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election?
If the FBI possessed records concerning allegations against Tinubu that were of legitimate public interest, Nigerians were asking for those records when they mattered most before they went to the polls to choose their President.
So the question must be asked:
What has changed between the 2023 Nigerian presidential election and now?
Why was the information not released when Nigerians could have considered it in making their electoral choice? Why should American institutions suddenly become enthusiastic about disclosure after the election?
If information that could legitimately have been disclosed was withheld at that critical time, then the FBI did Nigerians a grave disservice. Nigerians were entitled to make an informed political choice based on all lawfully available information not to have information selectively released according to the convenience or strategic interests of a foreign power.
And this is why I consider it the height of colonial mentality for Atiku Abubakar or any Nigerian politician to look to Washington for validation or intervention in our domestic political affairs.
America does not run its foreign policy out of charity. America protects American interests. Nigeria must protect Nigerian interests.
Americans themselves demonstrated the meaning of sovereignty when they elected Donald Trump President notwithstanding his conviction on 34 felony counts. That was their choice. Whether the rest of the world approved or disapproved was irrelevant. The American people exercised their sovereign political judgment.
Nigerians deserve the same respect.
Our leaders must ultimately be chosen, questioned, investigated and held accountable by Nigerians and Nigerian institutions, not according to Washington’s changing geopolitical interests.
Therefore, my criticism of the FBI should never be mistaken for a defence of Tinubu. Tinubu must answer for Tinubu. The FBI must answer for the timing of its own conduct.
If these records were so important, why not release them when Nigerians were preparing to vote? Why now?
Chief Malcolm Oomirhobo a lawyer and human right activist writes from Lagos
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