US Firm Claims Tinubu’s Reported $9m Campaign To Win Trump Failed

A US lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., has claimed that a reported $9m lobbying campaign by the Nigerian government to influence Washington and secure US President Donald Trump’s support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has failed.

The firm made the claim in a statement posted on X on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, alleging that Tinubu, his Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Dr. Sunday Dare, and their supporters were unhappy with its activities and those of its founder, Dr. Karl Von Batten.

“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 wrote.

The firm claimed that the reported lobbying effort had failed to secure Trump’s support for Tinubu and that a planned meeting between both presidents on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly would not take place.

“President Tinubu’s planned UN meeting with President Trump is dead,” it said.

It also alleged that the campaign had sought US support for Tinubu’s presidential bid ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 elections.

However, neither the White House nor the Nigerian Presidency has publicly confirmed that a meeting between Tinubu and Trump was scheduled or cancelled.

The firm also did not provide evidence that the reported $9m lobbying contract was specifically intended to secure Trump’s personal support for Tinubu or his 2027 presidential campaign.

US Foreign Agents Registration Act records (FARA) show that the Nigerian government, through Kaduna-based law firm Aster Legal and on behalf of the Office of the National Security Adviser, retained Washington-based DCI Group in December 2025 under a $9m agreement.

The contract provided for an initial six-month retainer of $4.5m, equivalent to about $750,000 per month, with provision for renewal.

The FARA filing stated that the engagement was intended to assist the Nigerian government with government relations and strategic communications concerning its efforts to protect Christian communities and maintain US support for countering West African jihadist groups and other destabilising elements.

The documented purpose of the contract therefore does not establish that the $9m was specifically spent to secure Trump’s endorsement or support for Tinubu.

Von Batten-Montague-York has a separate lobbying relationship with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

FARA filings show that Atiku engaged the firm in March 2026 under a 12-month contract worth $1.2m for strategic advisory and government relations services, including efforts to strengthen his reputation in Washington and counter narratives from the Nigerian government.

The firm has in recent months intensified its public criticism of Tinubu, including its publication of historical US government records relating to a 1990s civil forfeiture case involving the Nigerian president.

It has also raised allegations concerning Tinubu’s past in the United States and distributed materials to members of the Trump administration and Congress.

Tinubu is expected to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York later this month, where world leaders traditionally hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the gathering.

Von Batten-Montague-York’s claim that the reported lobbying campaign has failed and that a Tinubu-Trump meeting is “dead” therefore remains an assertion by the lobbying firm and has not been independently verified by official US or Nigerian sources.