US Lobbying Firm Predicts Tinubu Will Face Embarrassment at UNGA, Claims Trump Meeting Is Unlikely

President Bola Tinubu could face public embarrassment during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, a United States-based policy advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has claimed.

The firm made the prediction in a post on its verified X account on Monday while discussing Tinubu’s expected attendance at the UNGA and his reported efforts to secure a meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Von Batten-Montague-York also claimed that a private meeting between Tinubu and Trump would not take place during the UN gathering. The firm said some members of the Trump administration had indicated that the US president would not hold a private meeting with Tinubu over what it described as allegations linking the Nigerian leader to heroin trafficking.

The allegations referenced by the firm have not been established as fact in the material provided for this report. They should therefore be treated as claims made by the lobbying firm, rather than a finding that Tinubu has been involved in heroin trafficking.

The firm said Tinubu could still travel to New York for the UNGA in his capacity as Nigeria’s president, citing the access and transit protections available to representatives of UN member states.

It further claimed that international leaders attending the September UNGA would be aware of the allegations against Tinubu. The firm also threatened to activate a campaign intended to draw the attention of people in New York to the allegations if it receives authorisation to do so.

The comments come amid heightened international attention surrounding Nigeria’s relationship with the United States and Tinubu’s diplomatic engagements with the Trump administration. A meeting between the two presidents at the UNGA, if secured, would be closely watched given the importance of US-Nigeria relations.

Neither Tinubu nor the Nigerian government’s response to the lobbying firm’s latest claims was included in the material provided. The claim about a possible Trump-Tinubu meeting should therefore be treated as the firm’s position rather than confirmation that no meeting will occur.