THE Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has threatened to institute a N10 billion defamation suit against Adeniyi Adeyemi, convener of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), over allegations of murder and bribery made against him.
News Point Nigeria reports that Gbajabiamila, through his lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, issued the threat in a letter demanding that Adeyemi immediately remove all videos in which he allegedly made defamatory claims against the Chief of Staff.
The letter also directed Adeyemi to publish a full retraction and apology in at least five national newspapers as well as across all social media platforms where a press conference he addressed on June 26 was circulated.
Pinheiro described the allegations made during the press conference as “not only false, malicious, reckless and entirely without factual foundation,” but also as a deliberate attempt to portray Gbajabiamila as “corrupt, morally bankrupt, and a murderer.”
The senior lawyer further stated that Gbajabiamila and Adeyemi had never met or interacted in any capacity, arguing that making such grave allegations against someone he had never met was both reckless and malicious.
“It is even more disturbing to our client that you resorted to defaming him through your press statements after a criminal charge had been filed against you,” part of the letter read.
The letter warned that if Adeyemi failed to comply with the demands within 72 hours, legal proceedings would be initiated against him without further notice.
The latest development comes weeks after the Presidency publicly distanced itself from the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), insisting that no such organisation exists under the current administration.
In a statement issued in June, Gbajabiamila also clarified that neither his office nor the Presidency appointed Adeniyi Adeyemi to any position connected with the purported organisation.
However, at a press conference held on June 26, Adeyemi challenged the June 11 statement issued by Gbajabiamila in which the Chief of Staff maintained that the PFIPC does not exist under the Tinubu administration.
Adeyemi questioned how the PFIPC allegedly appeared in the 2026 budget if, as the Presidency maintained, the body was non-existent.
He further alleged that Gbajabiamila received N400 million through a proxy and demanded an additional N200 million to facilitate his appointment.
Adeyemi also called for an investigation into the death of Babatunde Tanimola, whom he described as an intermediary, while alleging that attempts had been made on his own life.
Gbajabiamila, through his legal team, has rejected the allegations in their entirety, describing them as false, malicious and defamatory, while insisting that the claims have no factual basis and demanding a public retraction and apology.