Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-styled Director-General of a non-existent federal agency, to withdraw allegations of corruption, abuse of office, fraud, and murder or face a N10 billion defamation lawsuit and criminal prosecution. The demand was detailed in a cease-and-desist letter dated 6 July, shared with PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday by Kemi Pinheiro, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), on behalf of Pinheiro LP, the law firm representing Mr Gbajabiamila. The letter described Mr Adeyemi's address as “unknown”.
Allegations labelled false and malicious
In the letter, Mr Pinheiro described the allegations made during Mr Adeyemi's press conference on 25 June as false, malicious, and entirely without factual basis, arguing they were designed to destroy the Chief of Staff's reputation and undermine public confidence in his office. Mr Pinheiro characterised Mr Gbajabiamila as a public servant whose reputation was built over decades of service, first as Speaker of the House of Representatives between 2019 and 2023 and now as Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu. The firm stated that his record of leadership, integrity, and public service constitutes one of his most valuable personal and professional assets.
According to the letter, Mr Adeyemi's press conference, widely circulated across print, broadcast, and social media platforms, portrayed Mr Gbajabiamila as “corrupt, dishonest, criminally culpable, morally bankrupt, administratively incompetent, a murderer and unfit to occupy public office.” Mr Pinheiro recalled Mr Adeyemi's allegation that the Chief of Staff demanded 48 per cent of the take-off grant meant for the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), an entity the Presidency has repeatedly described as non-existent. The letter also noted accusations that Mr Gbajabiamila received N400 million through proxies in connection with appointments into the fake organisation, abused his office to intimidate individuals and media organisations, participated in fraudulent government budget processes, manipulated security agencies, acted under the influence of intoxicating substances while performing official duties, and engaged in murder and a criminal cover-up.
No prior relationship with accuser
Mr Pinheiro rejected all allegations, insisting they were unsupported by any evidence. According to the lawyer, Mr Gbajabiamila had never met, communicated with, or maintained any personal or official relationship with Mr Adeyemi. “Your decision to fabricate and publish allegations against a person with whom you have had absolutely no relationship or interaction underscores the reckless, baseless and malicious nature of your publication,” the letter stated. The law firm argued that the allegations went beyond fair comment, political criticism, or public debate, consisting of grave claims of criminality, corruption, abuse of office, bribery, extortion, obstruction of justice, and official misconduct made without lawful justification or supporting evidence.
The letter asserted that the publication had gravely injured Mr Gbajabiamila's hard-earned reputation, exposed him to public ridicule and contempt, diminished public confidence in his office, and caused significant reputational damage within and outside Nigeria. The firm also criticised Mr Adeyemi for taking allegations to the media instead of presenting them before competent investigative or judicial authorities. “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,” the letter stated, adding that “trial by media remains unknown to Nigerian law and cannot be a substitute for due process.”
Ongoing criminal prosecution
The cease-and-desist letter comes against the backdrop of an ongoing criminal prosecution involving Mr Adeyemi, who has claimed to head the PFIPC. The Presidency has publicly disowned both Mr Adeyemi and the council, stating that no such agency exists under the Tinubu administration and that he was never appointed to any office within it. Court documents previously obtained by PREMIUM TIMES show that the Federal Government has filed an eight-count charge against Mr Adeyemi and two others for conspiracy, forgery, and impersonation. Prosecutors accused them of forging several government documents, including a presidential appointment letter, presidential letter-headed papers, requests for office accommodation, approvals for self-accounting, and other official correspondence used in operating the purported agency.
The court filings list Mr Gbajabiamila among 11 witnesses expected to testify for the prosecution. According to police investigation documents, the Chief of Staff petitioned the Inspector-General of Police in October 2025 over allegations of forgery and impersonation. Investigators later searched Mr Adeyemi's office at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja and his residence in Suleja, Niger State, recovering documents exchanged with several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as documents relating to approvals to operate the council. Investigators also traced 34 bank accounts allegedly linked to him, including nine reportedly opened in the names of purported government agencies.
Adeyemi denies wrongdoing
Despite the charges, Mr Adeyemi has consistently denied any wrongdoing. He maintained that he was lawfully appointed and insisted the Presidency was attempting to silence him. “I have a letter of appointment. However, since the matter is in court, I won’t be able to say much about it,” he said, adding that he was prepared to defend himself and was confident that the court would vindicate him. He rejected claims that he fabricated the agency, arguing that he could not have openly engaged ministries, departments, and agencies across government for nearly three years if the organisation did not exist. “For one second, let us assume the agency does not exist, would I have the temerity, the audacity, to be going all over the country, meeting the heads of ministries, departments and agencies, if I know that the agency does not exist?” he asked. “Nigeria is not a banana republic.”
Mr Adeyemi has also called on President Bola Tinubu to establish an independent investigative panel to examine both his allegations against Mr Gbajabiamila and the circumstances surrounding the disputed agency, while urging the Chief of Staff to step aside pending the outcome of the investigation.
Gbajabiamila's demands
As part of Mr Gbajabiamila's demands, Mr Pinheiro asked Mr Adeyemi to immediately cease and desist from making or publishing any further defamatory statements concerning the Chief of Staff. The law firm also demanded the removal of the press conference, transcripts, videos, recordings, and all related publications from every platform under his control. In addition, it insisted that Mr Adeyemi publish a full, unequivocal, and unreserved apology acknowledging that the allegations were false, defamatory, and without factual basis. According to the letter, the apology must be published with equal prominence in at least five national newspapers, on every platform where the publication appeared, and across all social media accounts through which it was disseminated.
The lawyer also requested, on behalf of the Chief of Staff, a written undertaking that Mr Adeyemi would refrain from making further defamatory statements. He warned that failure to comply within 72 hours would leave Mr Gbajabiamila with no option but to commence legal proceedings without further notice. According to the letter, the proposed action will include a criminal complaint for alleged criminal defamation under the applicable laws of the Federal Capital Territory and a civil suit seeking N10 billion in aggravated and exemplary damages. The law firm said any damages awarded would be donated to charities chosen by Mr Gbajabiamila. The proposed suit will also seek a perpetual injunction restraining Mr Adeyemi from making further defamatory publications and a mandatory order compelling him to publish a retraction and apology.
