Ex-Texas Mayor Accuses Tinubu, DCI Group of Breaking US Laws Over Lobbying Contract

Former Blanco, Texas, mayor Mike Arnold has claimed that President Bola Tinubu and Washington-based lobbying firm DCI Group violated laws in the United States and Nigeria.

According to him, Tinubu’s administration was paying DCI Group $750,000 monthly under a contract filed with the US Department of Justice.

Naija News reports that Arnold made the allegation in a Facebook post.

He claimed that the contract was aimed at convincing US authorities and policymakers that the Nigerian government was protecting Christian communities and combating jihadist groups.

However, Arnold accused the lobbying firm of deviating from the terms of its engagement by allegedly launching social media attacks against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

He cited a series of posts allegedly made by the firm that questioned Atiku’s ability to obtain a US visa and mocked the former vice president over his travel documents.

Arnold argued that such posts were not related to DCI Group’s contract of promoting Nigeria’s efforts against terrorism and protecting religious communities.

He contrasted the arrangement with Atiku’s reported engagement of a separate Washington lobbying firm for $1.2 million, noting that the firm’s registration documents reportedly stated that it was working on behalf of the former vice president and against the Nigerian government.

According to Arnold, DCI Group’s activities could raise questions under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), particularly if political activities carried out on behalf of a foreign principal were not properly disclosed.

“In the United States, leaving political work off a FARA filing is not a typo. It can be charged as a felony if they did it on purpose,” Arnold said.