- Threatens legal action, including N10bn damages, if demands are not met
By Eshioromeh Sebastian
The legal team representing Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, has issued a stern 72-hour ultimatum to Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, demanding an unconditional public apology and retraction of what they describe as malicious and unfounded statements against their client.
In a formal letter dated July 6, 2026, Gbajabiamila’s solicitor, Kemi Pinhero (SAN), gave Adeyemi until the end of this week to retract allegations made during a press conference on June 25, or face both criminal defamation charges and a civil lawsuit seeking N10 billion in damages.
The dispute stems from Adeyemi’s public accusations that Gbajabiamila demanded a 48 per cent cut of a purported N27.4 billion federal grant linked to a so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council—a body the Presidency has since dismissed as non-existent. Adeyemi also alleged that the Chief of Staff received N400 million through proxies and went as far as labelling him a “murderer” and “assassin.”
Pinhero’s letter, which runs into several pages, categorically rejects all nine allegations, describing them as reckless fabrications aimed at destroying the reputation of a public official who has served in various capacities for over two decades. The lawyer stressed that Adeyemi has never had any personal or official interaction with Gbajabiamila, making the accusations not only baseless but also maliciously contrived.
The legal team further noted that Adeyemi’s decision to go public with these claims came after criminal proceedings had already been initiated against him over allegations of forging presidential letterheads and operating a fictitious government agency. They described the press conference as a clear attempt at trial by media, which they said remains alien to Nigeria’s legal system.
Beyond the public apology and retraction, Gbajabiamila is demanding that Adeyemi remove all defamatory content from every platform where it has been published, issue a written undertaking to desist from further attacks, and ensure the apology is given equal prominence in at least five national newspapers and across all social media channels used to disseminate the original claims.
Should Adeyemi fail to comply within the 72-hour window, Pinhero warned that his client would proceed with criminal defamation proceedings under the laws of the Federal Capital Territory, alongside a civil claim for N10 billion in aggravated and exemplary damages—funds that would be directed to a charity of Gbajabiamila’s choosing.
Adeyemi is already scheduled to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 27, 2026, over the forgery charges currently pending against him. This latest legal confrontation adds another layer to an already heated dispute that has drawn significant public attention in recent weeks.
As of press time, Adeyemi had not issued any public response to the ultimatum.
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