The Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to Adeniyi Adeyemi, demanding the removal of all publications linking him to murder, bribery and other criminal allegations.
In a letter dated July 6, 2026, signed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kemi Pinheiro, on behalf of Pinheiro LP, Gbajabiamila’s legal team described the allegations as false, malicious and highly defamatory. The letter was obtained by Punch.
The legal action followed a press conference held by Adeyemi on June 25, during which he accused the Chief of Staff of demanding a share of the alleged take-off grant of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), receiving funds through proxies, abusing his office and participating in a criminal cover-up. He also referred to Gbajabiamila as “a murderer” and “an assassin.”
The Presidency has, however, described the PFIPC as a fictitious agency. Adeyemi is currently facing criminal charges before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations that he forged appointment documents bearing Gbajabiamila’s purported signature and counterfeited presidential letterheaded papers to falsely present himself as a government official.
According to the letter, Adeyemi made nine separate allegations against Gbajabiamila, including claims that the Chief of Staff demanded 48 per cent of the council’s alleged ₦27.4 billion take-off grant—estimated at about ₦12.5 billion—and received ₦400 million through intermediaries in relation to appointments linked to the organisation.
Gbajabiamila’s lawyers rejected the allegations in their entirety, insisting they were fabricated to portray him as corrupt, dishonest, criminally culpable, morally bankrupt and unfit to hold public office.
The legal team further stated that Gbajabiamila had never met, communicated or conducted any official or personal dealings with Adeyemi, arguing that the absence of any relationship between the two underscored the baseless nature of the accusations.
The lawyers also faulted Adeyemi for making the allegations after criminal charges had already been filed against him, maintaining that the issues raised at the press conference are already before the court.
“Trial by media remains unknown to Nigerian law and cannot be a substitute for due process,” the letter stated.
Gbajabiamila is demanding that Adeyemi immediately cease making further defamatory statements, remove all related videos, recordings and transcripts from every platform, publish a full retraction and apology in at least five national newspapers and across all social media platforms where the allegations were circulated, and provide a written undertaking not to publish similar claims in the future.
The Chief of Staff also warned that failure to comply within 72 hours would result in a ₦10 billion defamation lawsuit against Adeyemi.
