A United States-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York L.C., has said it is working to prevent any proposed meeting between President Bola Tinubu and United States President Donald Trump during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly.
The Washington-based firm made the announcement in a post on its X account while reacting to comments made by Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim.
According to the firm, it has already forwarded a video of Ibrahim’s remarks to senior officials in the Trump administration and plans to share the material with members of the U.S. Congress and officials of the State Department.
The development follows a television interview in which Ambassador Ibrahim stated that President Tinubu was expected to hold discussions with President Trump on the sidelines of next month’s UN General Assembly.
Responding to the claim, the lobbying firm said it believes such a meeting could be interpreted by some Nigerians as an endorsement of President Tinubu despite longstanding controversies surrounding historical court records in the United States.
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.”
Neither the Nigerian Presidency nor U.S. officials have publicly responded to the lobbying firm’s claims at the time of reporting.