24th October, 2023
The United States District Court of the District of Columbia has refused a request by one Aaron Greenspan seeking to compel US security agencies to promptly release information, including documents to him about President Bola Tinubu.
Greenspan had filed an emergency motion seeking to compel the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys (“EOUSA”), the Department of State, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Central Intelligence Agency to immediately release of the documents in view of yesterday’s hearing of appeals by PDP’s Atiku Abubakar and LP’s Peter Obi at the Nigeria’s Supreme Court.
Greenspan, owner of PlainSite, a website that advocates data transparency to combat corruption in public service, accused President Tinubu of using delay tactics to pause the release of his records by U.S. security agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Greenspan, who has been working closely with Nigerian journalist David Hundeyin, pleaded for a quick release of the documents as, according to him, they are needed to be presented at the Supreme Court.
Greenspan told the U.S court that the Supreme Court deliberately moved the hearing of the appeals by Atiku and Obi to yesterday to render his suit before the U.S court nugatory.
He had asked that the documents on Tinubu be released to him latest October 31.
In the civil suit, with number: 23-1816 Greenspan is also asking for similar information and documents on Mueez Adegboyega Akande, who is said to have died as of November 16, 2022.
In rejecting his motion for immediate release of the documents, the U.S court said Greenspan failed to convince the court the public issues that will cause it to overlook the privacy rights of President Tinubu.
Judge Beryl A. Howell, in his ruling on Monday, said the petitioner also failed to satisfy the relevant conditions for the grant of such a prayer contained in a motion for emergency hearing.
Meanwhile, President Tinubu’s lawyers have filed a motion at the court seeking to be allowed to defend the President in the suit.