• Threatens legal action, including seeking N10bn as damages to be paid to charities of client’s choice, if retraction is not effected within 72 hours
Deji Elumoye in Abuja
Solicitor to Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Mr Kemi Pinhero (SAN), has written a formal letter to Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, over alleged false and defamatory statements he recently made against his client.
Pinhero, in a five-page letter dated July 6, 2026 and titled, “RE: CEASE AND DESIST
INRE: FALSE AND DEFAMATORY STATEMENTS CONTAINED IN YOUR WIDELY CIRCULATED PRESS STATEMENT OF THE 25TH OF JUNE, 2026,” addressed to Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, stated that his client’s attention had been drawn to a press conference addressed by Adeyemi and circulated extensively across traditional and digital media platforms under the title “Press Conference Address By Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew.”
According to the letter, “The publication which has been extensively circulated across several print, electronic and social media platforms and has consequently attracted widespread public attention, contains numerous statements which are not only false, malicious, reckless and entirely without factual foundation, but were clearly designed to portray our client as corrupt, dishonest, criminally culpable, morally bankrupt, administratively incompetent, a murderer and unfit to occupy public office.
“In particular, in your press conference, you falsely alleged, among other things, that our client: demanded or requested forty-eight percent (48%) of the alleged take-off grant of an entity described as the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council;
received the sum of 400,000,000.00 by proxy in connection with appointments relating to the said entity; abused and exploited his office as Chief of Staff to intimidate individuals and media organisations;
knowingly participated in fraudulent governmental processes relating to the national budget; acted dishonestly and in a manner warranting his resignation from public office; sought to manipulate or misuse security agencies against you; may have acted under the influence of intoxicating substances in the discharge of his official duties; and engaged in conduct suggestive of corruption, abuse of office, criminality and gross misconduct; is a murderer, assassin and participated in a criminal cover-up.
“These allegations are not only false but are gravely defamatory. They plainly convey to ordinary, reasonable members of society that our client is corrupt, dishonest, criminally culpable, morally bankrupt, unfit for public office, violent, dangerous and undeserving of public trust.”
Gbajabiamila’s solicitor said he had been instructed by his client to formally demand that “you, within 72 hours of receipt of this letter: cease and desist from making, repeating, publishing or causing to be published any further defamatory statements concerning our client; remove and procure the removal of the offending press conference, transcripts, videos, recordings, publications and all substantially similar materials from every platform under your control; publish a full, unequivocal and unreserved retraction and apology acknowledging that the allegations made against our client are false, defamatory and without factual basis, such apology to be published with equal prominence in at least five national newspapers, all platforms on which the offending publication appeared, and any social media accounts through which it was disseminated; provide our law firm with a written undertaking that you shall refrain from making any further defamatory statements concerning our client.”
The solicitor submitted that unless the foregoing demands were fully complied with within 72 hours of receipt of his letter, “Our client shall, without further reference to you, commence appropriate legal proceedings against you seeking, including:
“Lodging a criminal petition/complaint against you for criminal defamation of our client in line with extant laws of the F.C.T.
“Commencing civil proceedings where we shall, on behalf of our client seek amongst others;
“The sum of N10,000,000,000.00 (Ten Billion Naira Only) as aggravated and exemplary damages which shall be paid to a charity or charities of our client’s choice.
“Perpetual injunction defamatory publication. injunction restraining any further
“A mandatory order compelling the publication of an apology and retraction.
We trust you will be guided accordingly.”
