The Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, has filed a N15 billion defamation lawsuit against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, over alleged false and malicious bribery claims.
In the suit filed at the FCT High Court, Gbajabiamila is demanding N10 billion as general damages, N5 billion as aggravated damages and N200 million as cost of action.
He is also seeking an order compelling the defendant to publish a full retraction and unreserved apology in five national dailies and to pin the apology on all his social media platforms for 30 days.
The suit, filed through his lawyers, Dr Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), Folu Oguntade (SAN), Olukayode Enitan (SAN), and Chukwudi Enebeli (SAN), arose from a press conference Matthew addressed in June 2026.
At the press conference, Matthew had alleged that Gbajabiamila demanded a 48 per cent kickback from a N27.3 billion take-off grant approved for a federal agency.
He also claimed that N400 million had been paid through a proxy and that an additional N200 million was demanded to secure presidential approvals.
Gbajabiamila, in his statement of claim and witness statement on oath, denied all the allegations.
“The Claimant has never met the Defendant, never held any meeting with him and has never authorised any intermediary, representative, agent, or proxy to demand or receive money on his behalf,” the court paper stated.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives described the claims that he demanded bribes, abused his office, and interfered with security agencies as entirely false, malicious and defamatory.
According to court documents, Matthew also alleged that one Babatunde Tanimola, whom he described as an intermediary between him and the Chief of Staff, died in a suspicious hotel fire in Utako, Abuja, on October 22, 2025, a day after Gbajabiamila allegedly petitioned the police.
Matthew further alleged an assassination attempt on his life along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway in September 2025 and claimed that security agencies were directed to stop investigating his case.
Gbajabiamila denied any involvement, knowledge, or link to Tanimola, the alleged assassination attempt, or any directive to the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services (DSS), EFCC and ICPC.
The court papers revealed that after the press conference went viral around June 25, 2026, Gbajabiamila instructed his solicitors to issue a cease-and-desist letter, which was published in THISDAY and other newspapers on July 7, 2026.
Instead of retracting the statements, the defendant allegedly granted interviews to social media influencer VeryDarkMan and appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today on July 13, 2026, repeating the claims.
Gbajabiamila told the court that during the VeryDarkMan interview, Matthew admitted he had never met him in person, never had a video call with him, and that all communications were through the late Tanimola. He also allegedly admitted he could not confirm whether Gbajabiamila was lying or telling the truth.
The Chief of Staff’s legal team also informed the court that Matthew is already facing criminal prosecution before the Federal High Court, Abuja, in Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/652/2026: Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew & Others, over allegations of forged presidential documents and appointment letters. Gbajabiamila said he instituted the action not only to protect his decades-long reputation built on integrity, but also to protect the dignity of the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President.
Meanwhile, the FCT High Court has ordered Matthew, whose address was listed as unknown, to enter an appearance within 14 days of service, failing which judgment may be entered in default.