RismadarVoice Reporters, August 5, 2026
A United States-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York L.C., has announced plans to oppose any proposed meeting between President Bola Tinubu and President Donald Trump during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly.
The Washington-based firm disclosed this in a statement posted on X on Tuesday 4th August while reacting to comments made by Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim.
The controversy stems from remarks made by Ibrahim during a television interview several weeks ago, in which he stated that President Tinubu was expected to meet with President Trump on the sidelines of next month’s UN General Assembly.
In response, the lobbying firm said it had forwarded a video of Ibrahim’s comments to senior officials in the Trump administration and intends to share the material with members of the U.S. Congress and officials at the State Department.
“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,” the firm stated.
The organisation further alleged that a meeting between the two leaders could be interpreted by some Nigerians as an endorsement of President Tinubu amid longstanding controversies surrounding historical court records in the United States.
“President Tinubu and his associates are attempting to convince Nigerians and the world that President Trump condones the drug trafficking allegations against Tinubu,” the statement added.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Nigerian Presidency nor the White House had officially responded to the lobbying firm’s claims.
The United Nations General Assembly is scheduled to take place next month in New York, where world leaders are expected to discuss major global issues, including security, trade and international cooperation.
