Retract your comments or pay ₦10bn — Gbajabiamila tells Adeyemi

The Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila has threatened a ₦10 billion defamation suit against Adeniyi Adeyemi, the disputed director-general of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), over allegations of murder and bribery.

This comes amid ongoing controversy over the disputed council, which the presidency maintains does not exist, despite Adeyemi’s insistence to the contrary.

In a letter signed by his counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, Gbajabiamila gave Adeyemi 72 hours to take down all videos and comments containing the allegations.

The Chief of Staff demanded that Adeyemi publish a full retraction and an apology in at least five national newspapers, as well as on the social media platforms where his June 26 press conference was circulated.

Pinheiro labeled Adeyemi’s claims as malicious, reckless, and entirely without factual foundation, stating they were aimed at portraying Gbajabiamila as corrupt, morally bankrupt, and a murderer.

Adeyemi was ordered to cease and desist from making, repeating, or publishing any further defamatory statements.

He was also instructed to provide the law firm with a written undertaking guaranteeing he would refrain from such actions in the future.

The firm warned that failure to fully comply with these demands within the stipulated 72-hour window would result in swift legal action. This includes lodging a criminal complaint for defamation under the extant laws of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Gbajabiamila’s legal team also threatened to commence civil proceedings to seek ₦10 billion in aggravated and exemplary damagesfunds they noted would be donated to charities of the Chief of Staff’s choice.

The firm also plans to seek a perpetual injunction to restrain any further defamatory publications and a mandatory order compelling a public apology.

In response, Adeyemi held a press conference arguing that the council would not have appeared in the 2026 budget if it were fake.

He escalated the situation by alleging that the former House of Representatives Speaker received ₦400 million from him through a proxy and demanded an additional ₦200 million to secure the appointment.

Adeyemi also called for an investigation into the death of Babatunde Tanimola, whom he described as an intermediary, and claimed his own life was currently under threat.