Tinubu Joins Delay Bid as US Court Sets August 21 Showdown

President Bola Tinubu has formally joined the U.S. Department of Justice’s request for a 10-day extension in the legal battle over records relating to allegations of drug trafficking involving him.

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell has rejected the requested 10-day extension, fast-tracking the proceedings and leaving August 21 as a crucial deadline.

The President has until August 21 to formally object to the release of the records, while the DOJ must also state its position on the demand for disclosure.

Unless Judge Howell requests further information or arguments, the court is expected to regard the arguments as complete after September 18 and proceed to a ruling.

President Bola Tinubu has formally joined the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in seeking additional time in a closely watched federal court battle over the release of records relating to allegations of drug trafficking involving him, setting the stage for a major legal showdown in Washington.

A court filing submitted on Tinubu’s behalf shows that the Nigerian President has joined the defendants’ motion seeking a 10-day extension to respond to a motion for summary judgment in the case.

The filing, titled “Notice of Joinder,” was submitted before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in Aaron Greenspan v. Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, et al., Civil Action No. 23-1816 (BAH).

Tinubu is expressly identified in the document as “Intervenor Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

The filing states that the intervenor joins the defendants’ motion for a 10-day extension of time to file a response to the motion for summary judgment, adding that Tinubu requested that his response remain on the same schedule as that of the defendants. It also states that the plaintiff opposed the request while the defendant did not.

The filing was signed by Tinubu’s lawyer, Christopher W. Carmichael of Henderson Parks LLC.

The development was made public by Von Batten-Montague-York, a U.S.-based policy advisory and lobbying firm retained by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, which has been pressing for the release of the records.

The firm said it had obtained a copy of Tinubu’s filing and described it as confirmation that the President had formally aligned himself with the DOJ’s request for additional time.

Judge Rejects 10-Day Extension

According to Von Batten-Montague-York, Judge Beryl Howell has now rejected the requested 10-day extension and fast-tracked the proceedings. The immediate consequence is that the case will proceed towards the next major deadline on August 21.

However, the August 21 deadline requires careful explanation. reports that documents are not automatically scheduled to be released to the public on August 21.

According to the lobbying firm’s clarification of the court’s timetable, the DOJ must by that date tell Judge Howell its position on the demand for the release of the records.

Tinubu also has until August 21 to formally object to their disclosure.

Von Batten-Montague-York has also portrayed the Trump administration’s handling of the case as a departure from the position it attributes to the DOJ under former President Joe Biden.

The firm said the DOJ under President Donald Trump is no longer “stonewalling or blocking” the release of the documents. Instead, it said the department requested an additional 10 days to review the matter and respond to the demand for disclosure.

The Records At The Centre Of The Dispute

The records being sought are connected to U.S. government investigations and allegations concerning Tinubu and alleged narcotics-trafficking activities dating back to the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The controversy has its roots in a Chicago-based heroin-trafficking investigation involving individuals alleged by U.S. authorities to have operated a narcotics network.

At the centre of repeated political arguments in Nigeria is a $460,000 asset forfeiture involving funds held in an account associated with Tinubu.

U.S. authorities pursued the forfeiture in 1993, and the proceedings have since been repeatedly cited by Tinubu’s political opponents as evidence warranting further scrutiny.

Tinubu has consistently denied wrongdoing and rejected allegations that he was involved in drug trafficking.

His representatives have maintained that the forfeiture proceedings were civil rather than criminal and that the action was against the money or property, not a criminal prosecution against Tinubu personally.

They have also stressed that Tinubu was never arrested, indicted, arraigned or criminally convicted for a drug-trafficking offence in the United States.