Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has filed a N10 billion defamation suit against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi over claims linking him to murder, bribery and other crimes.
In a letter dated July 6, 2026, signed by ‘Kemi Pinheiro, SAN of Pinheiro LP, Gbajabiamila’s lawyers demanded a retraction, apology, and takedown of all materials from Adeyemi’s June 25 press conference.
Adeyemi, who calls himself the Director-General of the “Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council”, accused Gbajabiamila of demanding 48% of an alleged N27.4bn take-off grant for the council, about N12.5bn, and of collecting N400m through proxies.
He also called the Chief of Staff “a murderer” and “an assassin”, and alleged abuse of office, fraudulent budget processes, and misuse of security agencies.
The lawyers described the nine allegations as “false and gravely defamatory” and said they were meant to portray Gbajabiamila as “corrupt, criminally culpable and unfit for public office.” They stated that Gbajabiamila has never met or had any dealings with Adeyemi.
The letter also referenced an ongoing criminal case, Charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR/652/2026, FRN v. Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew & Ors, where Adeyemi is accused of forgery and impersonation using fake appointment letters and presidential letterheads.
The lawyers gave a 72-hour compliance window from the time of receipt of the letter.
They asked Adeyemi to stop making further defamatory statements, take down all materials, including transcripts, videos and recordings from all platforms, publish a full retraction and apology in at least five national newspapers and across all social media platforms through which the press conference was disseminated, and provide a written undertaking to refrain from further publications about Gbajabiamila.
If he fails to comply, the lawyers warned of criminal defamation charges under FCT law and a civil suit for N10bn in damages to be paid to charity, plus a perpetual injunction and court-ordered apology.
The controversy also touches on budget questions. The PFIPC appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act as “Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council” with over N1.3bn allocated. Adeyemi cited this as proof the agency exists. The Presidency maintains the body is fictitious.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has called for an independent probe of both Gbajabiamila and Adeyemi, saying the Presidency cannot exonerate anyone.
Adeyemi is scheduled to appear in court on July 27, 2026.
