A United States-based advocacy firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu is seeking to remain in office for what it described as self-serving reasons, including the protection that head-of-state immunity may provide to a sitting president.

The firm made the allegation in a statement posted on its verified X account on Thursday, reacting to Tinubu’s Independence Day address.

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Von Batten-Montague-York claimed that Tinubu’s status as Nigeria’s President could prevent a possible official re-examination of allegations concerning his purported involvement in heroin trafficking from Nigeria to the United States during the 1980s and 1990s.

The firm further alleged that a possible new criminal indictment could be pursued if his presidential status no longer protected him from the jurisdiction of foreign courts.

“Nigerian President Bola Tinubu is desperate to remain in power for many self-beneficial reasons, including something called head-of-state immunity,” the firm said.

It added that Tinubu was allegedly aware that his position as President was “the only thing standing in the way” of a possible official review of the allegations and a potential new indictment.

The claims concern allegations that have been raised previously about Tinubu’s activities in the United States decades ago. However, the statement by Von Batten-Montague-York, as presented in the source material, does not itself establish that Tinubu committed heroin trafficking or that any new criminal case has been opened against him.

The latest statement comes amid renewed political discussions surrounding Tinubu’s administration and his position ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.