Gbajabiamila’s N15bn Defamation Suit Against PFIPC’s Adeyemi to Begin November 9

The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has fixed November 9, 10 and 13, 2026, for the commencement of trial in the N15 billion defamation suit filed by Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, against Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims to be the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).

Justice Samira Bature fixed the dates on Thursday following a disagreement between lawyers over Adeyemi’s request for additional time to file his defence.

At the resumed proceedings, counsel to Adeyemi, M.P. Usman, informed the court that he had filed a memorandum of appearance on October 14 and requested more time to respond to the suit.

However, Gbajabiamila’s lawyers, Kemi Pinheiro and Olukayode Enitan, opposed the request, arguing that Adeyemi had received the relevant court documents on July 30 and that the time allowed for filing his defence had expired in September.

Pinheiro urged the court to allow the case to proceed without further delay, citing the importance of protecting the claimant’s integrity as a public officer. The claimant’s legal team also requested three trial dates to enable Gbajabiamila to present his case.

The judge subsequently fixed November 9, 10 and 13 for the definite hearing of the matter. Neither Gbajabiamila nor Adeyemi was present in court during the proceedings.

The suit arose from allegations made by Adeyemi at a press conference on June 25, 2026, that Gbajabiamila demanded a 48 per cent kickback from an alleged N27.3 billion take-off grant approved for the PFIPC.

Adeyemi also alleged that N400 million was paid through a proxy in connection with the purported grant.

Gbajabiamila has denied the allegations, insisting that he never met or communicated with Adeyemi and did not authorise any intermediary to demand or receive money on his behalf.

The Chief of Staff is seeking N10 billion in general damages and N5 billion in aggravated damages, alongside N200 million as the cost of the legal action.

He is also asking the court to compel Adeyemi to publish a full retraction and unconditional apology in five national newspapers and on the online platforms where the allegations appeared, with the apology displayed for 30 consecutive days.

The case is expected to examine the disputed allegations and the evidence presented by both parties as proceedings begin in November.