President Tinubu’s 2027 Presidential Race Takes a Troubling Turn As FBI Probe Deepens: “Withdrawal?”

• The Allied Peoples Movement urged President Bola Tinubu to withdraw from the 2027 presidential election over legal proceedings in the United States
• Tinubu's lawyers appeared before a US federal court on August 28, 2026, seeking to block the release of documents held by the FBI and DEA
• The APM cited Section 137(1)(d) of Nigeria's 1999 Constitution, which bars candidates convicted of dishonesty or fraud from contesting the presidency

A Nigerian opposition party has publicly demanded that President Bola Tinubu withdraw his candidacy from the 2027 presidential race, pointing to a court battle in the United States as the basis for its call.

The Allied Peoples Movement (APM), according to a September 2, 2026 report from Legit.ng, issued the demand through its national spokesperson, Yusuf Abubakar, in a statement released in Abuja on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.

The party's position follows an August 28 court appearance by Tinubu's legal team before the US District Court for the District of Columbia, where the lawyers moved to prevent a summary judgment that would compel the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to release certain documents allegedly linked to the president.

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APM says legal move signals guilt

Rather than viewing the legal intervention as routine, the APM interpreted it as an indication of something to hide.

The party argued that Tinubu's lawyers citing privacy concerns and possible political consequences in Nigeria as reasons to withhold the records was itself telling.

In the party's view, a legal team genuinely confident of their client's innocence would have embraced disclosure as an opportunity to settle the matter publicly.

The APM stated that;

"The desperation exhibited by President Tinubu's lawyers to stall the case and frustrate the release of vital evidence because such disclosure would affect him personally is viewed by Nigerians and the global community as an admission of guilt."

The party also raised constitutional concerns, pointing to Section 137(1)(d) of Nigeria's 1999 Constitution, which disqualifies any person convicted of an offence involving dishonesty or fraud from standing for the office of president.

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It additionally noted that Nigeria is a signatory to three major international treaties governing narcotics control.

APM points to Honduras precedent

To reinforce its argument that political office provides no shield in American courts, the APM referenced the case of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted by a US federal jury in Manhattan on narcotics-related charges in March 2024.

"No individual, regardless of their political position, should be beyond the reach of the law, especially regarding drug-related issues of legitimate concern to the entire world," the party said.

The APM concluded by urging the president to "spare the nation the pain, cost, and embarrassment of this situation by stepping down from the race," and called on all presidential aspirants to be prepared for thorough public scrutiny of their backgrounds and records.

Tinubu asks court to block FBI files

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Nigerian President Bola Tinubu moved to prevent a United States court from ordering the release of confidential government files connected to a historical narcotics trade investigation that bears his name.

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Through his legal representatives, Tinubu filed a motion on 28 August 2026 urging the court to uphold earlier decisions by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to withhold or redact certain records sought under the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

According to a report by GhanaWeb, the court action stems from a legal challenge brought by Aaron Greenspan, an American open-government advocate, who filed applications against several US federal agencies seeking files related to investigations connected to the Nigerian president.

Source: YEN.com.gh