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A Washington-based lobbying firm engaged by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has questioned the authenticity of a letter from President Donald Trump to Nigerian leader Bola Tinubu, suggesting they expect the White House to deny the correspondence was ever sent.
Von Batten-Montague-York L.C. said in a statement that the letter, released by the Nigerian presidency on Wednesday, is dated July 6 – 16 days before its publication, a delay the firm described as raising “important questions”.
“We are half expecting the WhiteHouse to tell us that the letter is a fabrication and that no such letter was sent,” the firm wrote on X, adding that the purported letter “speaks for itself”.
The firm noted that the presidency released only quotations from the letter without an image or scanned copy of the original document, arguing that “something does not add up.”
Even if the letter is genuine, Von Batten-Montague-York claimed its contents resemble “a standard boilerplate diplomatic response prepared by White House staff in reply to correspondence from a foreign head of state.”
It added that “hundreds of similar diplomatic letters are sent every month.”
The lobbyist suggested the release was timed to counter “longstanding drug trafficking allegations” concerning Tinubu that it claimed are “now before members of the WhiteHouse and Congress.”
“We intend to forward the purported quotations from this ‘unreleased letter’ to our friends at the White House.We believe they will not take lightly any attempt by President Tinubu to use this purported diplomatic letter to suggest that President Trump condones the longstanding heroin trafficking allegations concerning President Tinubu,” the firm said, claiming that “President Trump has no tolerance for drug traffickers.”
President Tinubu (@officialABAT)’s office released what it “claims” is a letter from President @realDonaldTrump. The letter is dated July 6, 2026. Today is July 22, 2026. The purported letter is a full 16 days old. Why is President Tinubu releasing an old letter now? Nigerians… https://t.co/cNiyYk6pv7
— Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. (@batten_von) July 22, 2026
The Nigerian presidency released the letter on Wednesday through Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga, in which Trump praised Tinubu for his “decisive leadership” in tackling violence and insecurity, particularly attacks on Christian communities.
“Thank you for your thoughtful letter. Your kind words mean a great deal to me, and I appreciate your decisive leadership on behalf of the Nigerian people. I applaud your resolve to tackle the issues plaguing your nation, especially the violence affecting Christian communities,” Trump wrote in the letter dated July 6.
“It is a true honour to stand with you in the fight against these terrorists and to make the Federal Republic of Nigeria stronger and more prosperous,” Trump said.
“The United States-Nigeria relationship is crucial at a time where conflict has spread across West Africa and around the world. We both share a mutual goal of confronting terrorism in all its forms, and our historic US-Nigeria 2026 Defence Cooperation Roadmap has established a robust framework to accomplish this feat.”
Von Batten-Montague-York was engaged by Atiku in March 2026 under a 12-month, $1.2 million lobbying contract covering engagement with US officials and Congress, according to reports.
The firm has also begun circulating more than 60 pages of US Department of Justice records concerning a 1993 civil forfeiture case involving Tinubu to the Trump administration and Congress.
“Following discussions with members of the @realDonaldTrump Administration, Congress, and senior congressional staff, we began providing more than 60 pages of @TheJusticeDept documents concerning the DOJ’s allegations of Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s (@officialABAT) alleged involvement in a heroin trafficking investigation spanning the late 1980s and early 1990s,” the firm wrote.
