The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has instituted a N15 billion defamation suit against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, the Director-General of the Presidential Fiscal and Project Implementation Committee (PFIPC), over allegations that he demanded a 48 per cent kickback from a N27.3 billion take-off grant approved for a federal agency.
The suit, filed before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja, seeks N10 billion as general damages, N5 billion as aggravated damages and N200 million as the cost of the action. Gbajabiamila is also asking the court to compel Adeyemi to publish a full retraction and apology in five national newspapers and pin the apology on all social media platforms and online channels where the allegations were published for 30 consecutive days.
The legal action follows a series of public allegations made by Adeyemi, who claimed that the Chief of Staff demanded a percentage of the federal agency’s take-off grant before approvals could be secured.
Chief of Staff rejects bribery allegations
According to court documents filed by his legal team from Pinheiro LP, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Kemi Pinheiro, Gbajabiamila described the allegations as entirely false, malicious and calculated to tarnish his reputation.
The claimant maintained that he had never met Adeyemi, held any meeting with him or authorised any intermediary, representative or proxy to demand or receive money on his behalf.
Adeyemi had alleged during a press conference that a disagreement arose after the Chief of Staff allegedly demanded a 48 per cent kickback from the N27.3 billion grant. He further claimed that N400 million had already been paid through a proxy while another N200 million was required before presidential approvals could be obtained.
Gbajabiamila firmly denied demanding any money, receiving any payment directly or indirectly or authorising anyone to negotiate financial transactions on his behalf.
Claims surrounding intermediary disputed
The suit also addressed allegations involving the late Babatunde Tanimola, whom Adeyemi claimed acted as an intermediary between him and the Chief of Staff.
Adeyemi alleged that Tanimola died in a suspicious hotel fire in Utako, Abuja, on October 22, 2025, shortly after Gbajabiamila allegedly petitioned the police.
He further claimed that he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway and alleged that security agencies were instructed from “above” to discontinue efforts to recover his stolen mobile phones, which he claimed contained crucial evidence.
However, Gbajabiamila denied any knowledge of Tanimola, the alleged hotel fire or the reported assassination attempt. He also denied interfering with investigations or directing the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission or the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate or harass the defendant.
Interview admissions highlighted
According to the court filings, the Chief of Staff’s solicitors issued a cease-and-desist letter dated July 6, 2026, demanding an immediate withdrawal of the allegations, a public apology and a retraction.
Rather than retract his statements, Adeyemi allegedly granted an interview to social media influencer VeryDarkMan, during which he made several admissions that contradicted his earlier allegations.
Gbajabiamila told the court that Adeyemi admitted he had never met him physically, never held a video call with him and had no independent means of verifying the identity of the individual he believed to be the Chief of Staff.
According to the claimant, Adeyemi further admitted that every communication was conducted through the late Tanimola and that he could neither state categorically that Gbajabiamila was lying nor confirm that he was telling the truth.
Despite those admissions, the Chief of Staff alleged that Adeyemi repeated the same allegations during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on July 13, 2026.
Existing criminal case referenced
The court documents also revealed that Adeyemi is currently standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations involving forged presidential documents and forged appointment letters.
According to Gbajabiamila’s legal team, those documents formed the basis of the public allegations made against him.
The FCT High Court has directed Adeyemi, whose address was listed as unknown but who is deemed to be within the court’s jurisdiction, to enter an appearance within 14 days after being served with the originating processes. Failure to do so may result in judgment being entered against him in default.
Reputation and public office
In his witness statement, Gbajabiamila said he had spent decades building a reputation founded on integrity, honesty and faithful public service, both as a legal practitioner and as a former Speaker of the House of Representatives.
He argued that although public office holders should expect criticism and scrutiny, the allegations levelled against him amounted to false accusations of corruption, bribery, abuse of office and interference with law enforcement agencies.
The Chief of Staff said the repeated publication of the allegations generated widespread public discussions and prompted enquiries from friends, associates and professional colleagues within and outside Nigeria, causing significant reputational damage.
He added that he deliberately refrained from responding through the media because he believed the court was the proper forum to determine the dispute.
Gbajabiamila urged the court to grant all the reliefs sought, insisting that the suit was instituted not only to protect his personal reputation but also to preserve the integrity and dignity of the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President.