A United States-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York L.C., has said it is taking steps to oppose any proposed meeting between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and U.S. President Donald Trump during the forthcoming United Nations General Assembly.
The Washington-based firm disclosed its position in a post on X, reacting to comments made by Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim.
According to the firm, it has 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 comments made by Ibrahim during a television interview in which he stated that President Tinubu was expected to hold talks with President Trump on the sidelines of next month’s UN General Assembly.
In its statement, the lobbying firm argued that such a meeting could be interpreted by some Nigerians as an endorsement of President Tinubu despite controversies it said relate to historical U.S. court records.
The firm stated: “We have shared the video with senior members of President Donald Trump’s Administration. In the coming days, we will also share it with Members of Congress and the State Department.
“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 had publicly responded to the lobbying firm’s statement at the time of filing this report.
There has also been no official confirmation from either the White House or the Presidency in Abuja regarding a scheduled bilateral meeting between Presidents Tinubu and Trump during the UN General Assembly.
The annual UN General Assembly provides a platform for world leaders to hold bilateral meetings and discuss global political, economic and security issues on the sidelines of the main sessions.
