The Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Rt. Hon. Olufemi Gbajabiamila, has threatened legal action against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, the self-styled Director General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, over alleged defamatory claims made against him….
The Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Rt. Hon. Olufemi Gbajabiamila, has threatened legal action against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, the self-styled Director General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, over alleged defamatory claims made against him.
Gbajabiamila, through his lawyers, Pinheiro LP, issued a 72-hour cease-and-desist notice demanding a retraction and apology for what he described as false and damaging allegations contained in a widely circulated press conference.
The demand was contained in a letter dated July 6, 2026, signed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kemi Pinheiro, on behalf of the law firm, ThisDay Newspaper has reported.
The lawyers described Gbajabiamila as “one of Nigeria’s most accomplished public servants”, citing his decades of service as a lawyer, former Speaker of the House of Representatives and his current role as Chief of Staff to the President.
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According to the letter, the legal action followed a press conference addressed by Prince Matthew on June 25, 2026, which was subsequently circulated across print, electronic and social media platforms.
Pinheiro LP alleged that the statements made during the briefing were “false, malicious, reckless and entirely without factual foundation”, claiming they were intended to portray Gbajabiamila as corrupt, dishonest, criminally culpable, morally bankrupt, administratively incompetent and unfit for public office.
The law firm listed several allegations it said were made against the Chief of Staff, including claims that he demanded 48 per cent of an alleged take-off grant linked to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, received N400 million through proxies over appointments into the organisation, abused his office, influenced security agencies, engaged in corruption and was involved in murder and a cover-up.
The lawyers insisted that the allegations were false and defamatory, adding that Gbajabiamila had never met, communicated with or had any official or personal dealings with Prince Matthew.
“The publication goes far beyond fair comment, criticism or political discourse. Rather, it consists of grave allegations of criminality, corruption, abuse of office, bribery, extortion, obstruction of justice and official misconduct made without any lawful justification or supporting evidence,” the letter stated.
Pinheiro LP said the publication had damaged Gbajabiamila’s reputation, exposed him to public ridicule and weakened confidence in his office both within and outside Nigeria.
The firm also criticised Prince Matthew for making the allegations through a press conference rather than presenting evidence before relevant investigative or judicial authorities.
The lawyers further linked the claims to an ongoing criminal case involving Prince Matthew before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
According to the letter, criminal charges had been filed in Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/652/2026, FRN v. Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew & Ors, over allegations bordering on forgery, including the alleged production of an appointment letter and presidential letter-headed documents purportedly showing that he was appointed by President Tinubu.
The law firm argued that some of the claims made during the press conference relate to matters already before the court, stressing that “trial by media remains unknown to Nigerian law and cannot be a substitute for due process.”
As part of its demands, Pinheiro LP ordered Prince Matthew to stop making further statements against Gbajabiamila, remove the alleged defamatory materials from all platforms under his control, and publish a full retraction and apology within 72 hours.
The firm requested that the apology be published with equal prominence in at least five national newspapers, on all platforms where the allegations appeared and on the social media accounts through which they were circulated.
It also demanded a written undertaking that no further defamatory publications would be made against the Chief of Staff.
The lawyers warned that failure to comply with the demands would lead to legal proceedings without further notice.
According to the letter, the proposed action would include a criminal complaint for alleged criminal defamation under applicable laws in the Federal Capital Territory, as well as a civil suit seeking N10 billion in aggravated and exemplary damages.
The planned civil action would also seek a perpetual injunction preventing further defamatory statements and an order compelling the publication of a retraction and apology.
