Gbajabiamila gives Prince Matthew 72 hours to retract allegations, threatens ₦10bn defamation suit

Chief of Staff to the President, Olufemi Hakeem Gbajabiamila, has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, demanding the withdrawal of what he describes as defamatory allegations or face both civil and criminal legal action.

The ultimatum was conveyed through his legal representatives, Pinheiro LP, in a cease-and-desist letter dated July 6, 2026, and signed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kemi Pinheiro.

According to the letter, the legal action stems from a press conference held by Prince Matthew on June 25, during which he made a series of allegations against the Chief of Staff. The claims were subsequently circulated across traditional and digital media platforms.

Gbajabiamila’s lawyers described the allegations as false, malicious and unsupported by any credible evidence. They argued that the statements were intended to damage his reputation by portraying him as corrupt, dishonest, criminally liable and unfit for public office.

Among the claims challenged by the Chief of Staff are allegations that he demanded a 48 per cent share of the take-off grant of an organisation identified as the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, received ₦400 million through proxies in connection with appointments, interfered with security agencies, manipulated budget processes, abused his office, engaged in corruption and was involved in murder and an alleged cover-up.

The legal team dismissed the accusations in their entirety, insisting that Gbajabiamila has never met, spoken with or maintained any personal or official relationship with Prince Matthew. They argued that the absence of any prior interaction further undermines the credibility of the allegations.

The lawyers maintained that the statements exceeded the limits of political criticism or fair comment, describing them as serious accusations of criminal conduct made without lawful justification or supporting evidence.

They further stated that the publication had caused significant reputational harm to the Chief of Staff, attracting widespread public attention and prompting inquiries from political associates, friends and members of the public regarding the allegations.

The letter also criticised Prince Matthew for making the allegations publicly instead of presenting any evidence to law enforcement or other appropriate investigative authorities.

Pinheiro LP further noted that Prince Matthew is currently standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja in a case involving alleged forgery. According to the lawyers, the charges include accusations that he forged an appointment letter and official presidential letterhead purportedly indicating that he had been appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. They argued that some of the issues raised during the press conference are already before the court, making the public statements inappropriate while judicial proceedings are ongoing.

As part of its demands, the law firm directed Prince Matthew to immediately stop making or publishing any further statements about the Chief of Staff, remove all related videos, transcripts and publications from every platform under his control, and issue a full public retraction and apology.

The proposed apology, according to the letter, should acknowledge that the allegations were false and be published with equal prominence in at least five national newspapers, as well as on all platforms where the original statements were circulated, including social media.

The lawyers also demanded a written undertaking that no similar allegations would be made in the future.

They warned that failure to comply within 72 hours would trigger both criminal and civil proceedings. The proposed civil suit will seek ₦10 billion in aggravated and exemplary damages, which Gbajabiamila says would be donated to charities of his choice, alongside a court order compelling a retraction and permanently restraining further defamatory publications.