A recent post circulating on social media has falsely claimed that the United States government has released a new corruption report targeting former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar. This misinformation comes as Nigeria gears up for the 2027 elections, where Abubakar is a presidential candidate for the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The misleading post, shared extensively on X since July 25, 2026, includes screenshots that the author purports to be pages from a newly released US government report. However, investigations reveal that the document referenced is actually a 16-year-old report from a 2010 US Senate subcommittee hearing. The report did not lead to any criminal charges against Abubakar, despite naming him in connection with money laundering concerns.

Fact-checkers from AFP traced the screenshots back to a 328-page PDF published by the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations under the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on July 12, 2010. This document examined how foreign politicians, including Abubakar, moved significant sums of money into American financial institutions. It highlighted failures in anti-money laundering measures and identified over $40 million in suspicious foreign funds linked to Abubakar's wife, Jennifer Douglas.

Despite the serious nature of the allegations in the 2010 report, it did not culminate in any legal action against Abubakar. The report was led by Senator Carl Levin, who chaired the subcommittee from 2007 until his death in 2021. The current chair is Senator Ron Johnson, who assumed the position in January 2025.

The timing of the viral post appears to be politically motivated, coinciding with Abubakar's recent hiring of a US-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., to bolster his public relations efforts. This firm has been active in highlighting historical documents related to President Bola Tinubu, particularly concerning allegations from the late 1980s and early 1990s linked to drug investigations. In response, supporters of Tinubu have circulated the misleading claims about Abubakar.

As the political landscape heats up ahead of the upcoming elections, misinformation continues to spread, with some social media users accepting the false claims as genuine. One user commented, "It's 100% genuine!" while another remarked that it "says a lot about the leaders Nigeria produce."

In related news, President Tinubu has filed a notice of joinder supporting a request to delay the release of FBI and DEA drug investigation records, which has further intensified the scrutiny surrounding both candidates. This ongoing tug-of-war highlights the increasingly contentious nature of Nigerian politics as the 2027 elections approach.