A 72-hour countdown is now running against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, the self-styled Director-General of the disputed Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council. Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila’s lawyers have demanded he retract and apologise for allegations made at a June 25 press conference, or face a ₦10 billion defamation suit alongside criminal proceedings.
The cease-and-desist letter, dated July 6 and signed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Kemi Pinheiro of Pinheiro LP, lays out a lengthy list of claims Adeyemi is accused of making, that Gbajabiamila demanded 48 percent of the PFIPC’s alleged take-off grant, received ₦400 million through proxies tied to appointments into the organisation, abused his office to intimidate individuals and media houses, participated in fraudulent budget processes, manipulated security agencies, worked while intoxicated, and was involved in a murder and its cover-up. The firm called the claims false, malicious and without factual foundation, adding that Gbajabiamila has never had any dealings with Adeyemi at all, a point it says makes the allegations even harder to credit.
What gives the letter its sharper edge is the timing. Adeyemi is already facing criminal charges before the Federal High Court in Abuja, in FRN v. Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew & Ors, over allegations that he forged an appointment letter and presidential letterhead documents purporting to show Tinubu had appointed him. Pinheiro LP argues the press conference covered ground that belongs in that courtroom, not in front of cameras. “Trial by media remains unknown to Nigerian law and cannot be a substitute for due process,” the letter states, framing the public allegations as an attempt to relitigate the criminal case in the court of public opinion instead.
The firm described Gbajabiamila as one of Nigeria’s most accomplished public servants, a lawyer, former Speaker of the House of Representatives and now Chief of Staff, whose reputation the publication has damaged both domestically and internationally. It said he has since been fielding calls from friends and associates questioning his integrity as a direct result of the allegations circulating online.
The letter’s demands are specific: an immediate halt to further statements, removal of the press conference and any related recordings or transcripts from platforms Adeyemi controls, and a full public retraction published with equal prominence in at least five national newspapers plus every platform where the original claims appeared. Pinheiro LP also wants a signed undertaking against future defamatory statements.
If Adeyemi doesn’t comply within the 72-hour window, the firm says it will pursue a criminal defamation complaint under FCT law alongside a civil suit seeking ₦10 billion in damages, which it says would go to charity, plus a permanent injunction barring further publications and a court order compelling a formal apology.
