Femi Fani-Kayode, the Ambassador-Designate to South Africa, has accused Von Batten-Montague-York LC, an American lobbying firm, of spreading false information about President Bola Tinubu.
He attacked Karl Ikemefuna Von Batten, the company’s owner, and challenged him to present proof that Tinubu had been bought off with $3 million via an accomplice in order to keep quiet.
Fani-Kayode expressed his doubts in a statement he released on his 𝕏 Twitter, according to Naija News.
He was furious because Von Batten’s publications about the Nigerian president had overwhelmed his email and direct messages on social media.
“People from all over the world have flooded my email and direct messages on all of my social media handles with the hogwash that you publish about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on a daily basis,” Fani-Kayode stated.
Von Batten was accused by the former minister of trying to paint Tinubu as a criminal even though the president has not been found guilty of any crimes.
He advised those pursuing Tinubu’s disclosure lawsuit in the US to let the legal process unfold.
Fani-Kayode expressed confidence that the American judiciary will respect the rule of law and defend Tinubu’s right to privacy.
In addition, he questioned Von Batten’s identity, educational background, and the circumstances surrounding his adoption of the surname Von Batten, accusing him of having a personal fascination with the issue.
According to the former minister, he was told that Von Batten’s marriage to Elizabeth Von Batten was the reason he took on the surname.
He asked why Karl Von Batten was the public name of the US-based lobbyist whose records purportedly had the Nigerian identity Ikemefuna Okeke.
Von Batten was engaged by former Vise President Atiku Abubakar and paid $1.2 million to undertake legal and lobbying actions against Tinubu, according to Fani-Kayode.
He charged Von Batten with deceiving Atiku and running what he called an ineffective campaign.
“How did you fool His Excellency Abubakar Atiku, the great Wazirin Adamawa, into paying you 1.2 million USD for pursuing a pointless cause and treading a fruitless path that will lead nowhere and end in NOTHING if this weren’t the case?” he exclaimed.
Von Batten’s academic credentials were also called into question by Fani-Kayode, who stated that there didn’t seem to be any publicly accessible proof of his purported attendance at Oxford, Columbia, Harvard, Cornell, and the New York Institute of Technology.
He insisted that Von Batten, his company, and other people purportedly opposed to Tinubu would not succeed.
Fani-Kayode asserts that Tinubu’s political future would not be decided by US court cases or lobbying efforts.
“God and the Nigerian people control President Tinubu’s destiny and fate, not you,” he declared.
