Trump Says He Won’t Endorse ‘Alleged Drug Baron’ for President, US Firm Confirms as Secretary Shuns Tinubu Delegates

A Washington-based lobbying firm has claimed that United States President Donald Trump would not endorse or personally support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for re-election in Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election.

The firm, which has been lobbying US officials on issues relating to Nigeria, made the claim while commenting on the recent visit of a Nigerian government delegation to Washington.

According to the firm, the Nigerian delegation’s efforts to secure a meeting between Tinubu and Trump at the White House were unsuccessful, describing the talks with US officials as largely unproductive.

The firm also alleged that the Trump administration would not support Tinubu because of allegations contained in historical US court records concerning a heroin trafficking investigation.

However, Tinubu has never been criminally charged or convicted in connection with the case and has consistently denied wrongdoing.

The lobbying firm further claimed that the Nigerian delegation was received at a lower diplomatic level than would normally be expected, pointing to the fact that National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu led the Nigerian side during the meeting, while Allison Hooker represented the United States.

It argued that Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Ojukwu would ordinarily have led the Nigerian delegation in a meeting involving the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.

US-Nigeria Joint Working Group Holds Talks

The meeting in Washington was the second round of the US-Nigeria Joint Working Group and was held on August 12, 2026.

Ribadu led the Nigerian delegation, while Hooker represented the US side. The first round of the working group was held in Abuja in January.

The discussions focused on counterterrorism cooperation, intelligence sharing, protection of communities affected by religious violence, the return of displaced persons, terrorism financing, border security and defence cooperation.

A US State Department note on the meeting said both countries discussed efforts to protect vulnerable communities, hold attackers accountable and strengthen military cooperation.

The two sides also reviewed Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts, including prosecutions involving Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province suspects, expansion of specialised courts and the training of additional police officers.

The discussions also covered concerns over civilian casualties and transparency surrounding some aid spending, while military cooperation talks continued at the Pentagon.

Firm Revives 1990s US Drug Case

The lobbying firm has also been circulating US Department of Justice records relating to a 1993 civil forfeiture case involving more than $1.4 million in funds linked to Tinubu.

The records originated from a US federal investigation into a heroin distribution network operating in Chicago and parts of Indiana between 1988 and 1991.

US authorities alleged that proceeds from the drug operation were deposited into bank accounts associated with Tinubu at First Heritage Bank and Citibank.

Tinubu was named alongside Adegboyega Mueez Akande and Abiodun Agbele in the case, titled United States v. Funds in Account Number 263226700 and Others, filed in the Northern District of Illinois.

According to the records, US authorities alleged that some of the funds were connected to Akande, whom investigators described as an associate of Tinubu and an alleged member of the drug network.

Authorities froze more than $1.4 million in accounts linked to Tinubu in January 1992. In a subsequent civil forfeiture settlement in 1993, a court ordered the forfeiture of about $460,000 from one of the accounts as proceeds of narcotics trafficking or property involved in money laundering.

The remaining funds were released.

Importantly, the case was a civil forfeiture proceeding, not a criminal prosecution against Tinubu. He was never criminally charged or convicted over the matter and has repeatedly denied any involvement in drug trafficking.

Nigerian courts also addressed the issue during legal challenges to the 2023 presidential election, noting that the US civil forfeiture case did not amount to a criminal conviction.

Lobbying Firm Continues Campaign

The Washington firm is reportedly continuing to circulate the historical Justice Department records among officials in the Trump administration and members of the US Congress.

It is also supporting efforts to obtain additional investigative documents from US agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration.

The firm maintains that Washington will continue cooperating with Nigeria where the two countries have shared interests but claims that such cooperation should not be interpreted as political support for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.

The allegations by the lobbying firm have not been independently established as evidence of any decision by Trump or the US government to oppose Tinubu’s candidacy.

For now, the US-Nigeria relationship remains focused on security, counterterrorism, defence cooperation and other areas of mutual interest, while questions over the political relationship between Trump and Tinubu continue to attract attention ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election.