A public disagreement broke out between former Kaduna Central senator Shehu Sani and Paul Ibe, media adviser to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, over the opposition's decision to hire a United States lobbying firm to push for the release of documents relating to President Bola Tinubu's alleged past drug trafficking case.Reports indicated that the Washington-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C.

, had started circulating United States Department of Justice records to officials in the Donald Trump administration, members of Congress and senior congressional aides.

Reacting on his X account, Shehu Sani described the move as unpatriotic, arguing that taking Nigeria's internal political disputes abroad could damage the country's international reputation.

According to him, such actions could expose Nigeria to diplomatic consequences, including possible sanctions or visa restrictions, while doing little to achieve the opposition's political goals.He maintained that political parties should pursue power through democratic means within Nigeria instead of seeking foreign involvement.

In response, Paul Ibe defended the use of a lobbying firm, saying there was nothing improper about engaging lobbyists, especially when confronting what he described as a dictatorship.He further alleged that the Tinubu administration had previously spent about $9 million of public funds on a US lobbying firm.

Ibe argued that Nigerians have a right to know the contents of the FBI and DOJ records relating to President Tinubu's past forfeiture of $460,000 in the United States.He challenged the President's supporters to support the release of the documents if there was nothing to hide.

Ibe also ended his response with a personal remark directed at Shehu Sani, referring to what he called an outstanding issue linked to a past Senate investigation.

The exchange reflects the continuing political disagreements over transparency, accountability and the role of foreign lobbying in Nigeria's democratic process.