A United States-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York L.C., has announced its opposition to any proposed meeting between Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and United States President Donald Trump during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The Washington-based firm disclosed its position in a statement shared on its official X account, where it responded to recent remarks by Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim.
Ambassador Ibrahim had, during a television interview some weeks ago, stated that President Tinubu was expected to meet with President Trump on the sidelines of next month’s UN General Assembly.
Reacting to the development, the lobbying firm said it had already forwarded a video of Ibrahim’s comments to senior officials within the Trump administration and intends to widen its outreach to other key U.S. institutions.
According to the firm, it will also share the video with members of the United States Congress and officials of the U.S. State Department.
The firm argued that a meeting between the two leaders could be interpreted by some Nigerians as an endorsement of President Tinubu despite what it described as longstanding controversies surrounding historical U.S. court records linked to the Nigerian leader.
In its statement, the firm said, “We have shared the video with senior members of President Donald Trump Administration. In the coming days, we will also share it with Members of Congress and the State Department.”
It further alleged, “President Tinubu and his associates are attempting to convince Nigerians and the world that President Trump condones the drug trafficking allegations against Tinubu.”
As of the time of filing this report, there has been no official response from the Presidency, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, or the U.S. government regarding the lobbying firm’s claims or its reported outreach efforts.
