A United States-based policy advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has claimed that efforts to secure a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and US President Donald Trump have failed.
The firm made the claim in a post on its verified X handle on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, alleging that Tinubu, his Special Adviser, Dr Sunday Dare, and their supporters were unhappy with the firm and its founder, Dr Von Batten, over its activities in Washington.
Von Batten-Montague-York alleged that its work had disrupted what it described as a reported $9 million lobbying campaign aimed at securing Trump’s support for Tinubu.
“We have learned that Nigerian President Bola Tinubu (@officialABAT), Dr. Sunday Dare (@SundayDareSD), Special Adviser to President #Tinubu, and their supporters are deeply unhappy with us, particularly with our founder, Dr. Von Batten, over our work destroying their reported $9 million lobbying campaign to win over President @realDonaldTrump,” the firm said.
The lobbying firm further claimed that a planned meeting between Tinubu and Trump at the United Nations had been called off, asserting that efforts to secure the US President’s backing for Tinubu had failed.
“We understand their frustration, and we would like to play the world’s smallest violin for their sorrows,” it added.
The firm said attempts to secure a meeting at the White House and influence Washington’s perception of Tinubu had also failed.
“Here are the facts: President #Tinubu’s planned @UN meeting with President #Trump is dead. The effort to secure President Trump’s support for #Tinubu has failed. The pushed White House meeting is not going to happen. The effort to secure U.S. support for #Tinubu’s presidential campaign has failed,” the statement said.
Von Batten-Montague-York also alleged that millions of dollars and significant time had been spent trying to influence Washington’s perception of the Nigerian President.
“You spent millions of dollars and countless hours trying to shape Washington’s perception of President #Tinubu,” the firm said.
It accused those allegedly unhappy with its activities of attempting to discredit the firm and its founder by circulating what it described as false stories.
“If your response to failure is to invent false stories about our work and Dr. Von Batten, then you have learned nothing from that failure,” it said.
The firm concluded with a provocative message directed at the Nigerian government.
“We are just a lobbying firm. You are the Federal Government of Nigeria. Show some dignity when you lose,” it said.
However, the claims contained in the post could not be independently verified. The firm did not provide documentary evidence in the statement to substantiate its allegations regarding the reported $9 million lobbying campaign or the purported cancellation of a Tinubu-Trump meeting.
