Pushed for White House Meeting, Effort to Secure U.S. Support for Tinubu’s Re-election Failed — American Firm

An American lobbying firm has claimed that efforts by supporters of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to secure a meeting with United States President Donald Trump and gain Washington’s support for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid have failed.

The firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, made the claim in a statement while responding to what it described as growing criticism from individuals associated with the Nigerian government.

According to the firm, Tinubu, Special Adviser to the President Sunday Dare and their supporters are unhappy with its activities, particularly those of its founder, Dr. Von Batten.

The firm alleged that it had played a role in disrupting what it described as a reported $9 million lobbying campaign aimed at influencing the Trump administration and shaping Washington’s perception of Tinubu.

It further claimed that a planned meeting between Tinubu and Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly would no longer take place.

“President Tinubu’s planned UN meeting with President Trump is dead,” the firm said, adding that efforts to secure Trump’s support for Tinubu had failed.

The firm also alleged that millions of dollars and significant efforts had been spent attempting to influence perceptions of the Nigerian president in Washington.

It accused Tinubu’s supporters of attempting to discredit its work and its founder following the alleged failure of the lobbying effort.

The firm said the Nigerian government should accept the setback with dignity rather than allegedly resorting to what it called false narratives about its activities.

“We are just a lobbying firm. You are the Federal Government of Nigeria. Show some dignity when you lose,” it said.

The claims come amid heightened political activity ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election and growing diplomatic engagements between Nigeria and the United States.

However, the American firm did not provide publicly verifiable evidence in the statement to independently establish the alleged $9 million lobbying expenditure or confirm that a planned Tinubu-Trump meeting had been cancelled.

The Nigerian government has also not, in the statement referenced, publicly confirmed the firm’s allegations regarding the purported lobbying campaign or the status of any planned meeting between the two presidents.