Nigeria’s Ambassador to South Africa, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has launched a strong rebuttal against American-based lobbyist Karl Ikemefuna Von Batten over his persistent allegations against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing the ongoing controversy as a distraction and urging him to substantiate his claims with credible evidence.
Fani-Kayode, in a strongly worded statement titled “Who Is Karl Ikemefuna Von Batten and What Is He Hiding?”, said he was compelled to speak after becoming increasingly concerned by what he described as a sustained campaign against the Nigerian President.
He particularly dismissed an allegation attributed to Von Batten that President Tinubu had allegedly sent an emissary to offer him $3 million in exchange for his silence, challenging him to provide concrete evidence to support the claim.
According to Fani-Kayode, allegations of such magnitude should not be made without verifiable evidence, insisting that President Tinubu had not been convicted or indicted of any crime by any court in the United States or elsewhere.
The former Aviation Minister also questioned Von Batten’s continued focus on an ongoing Freedom of Information Act disclosure case in the United States, arguing that the matter should be allowed to run its course through the judicial process.
Fani-Kayode expressed confidence in the American judicial system, saying he believed the court would uphold the rule of law and protect what he described as the President’s legitimate privacy rights.
He also questioned Von Batten’s public identity, particularly his use of the surname “Von Batten”, alleging that the name was acquired through marriage to Elizabeth Von Batten, while records purportedly bear the Nigerian names Ikemefuna Okeke.
The ambassador asked why Von Batten had chosen to publicly use his wife’s surname rather than his alleged paternal family name, raising questions about his ancestry and background.
Fani-Kayode further challenged Von Batten’s educational claims, noting that he had reportedly claimed attendance or graduation from institutions including Oxford, Columbia, Harvard, Cornell and the New York Institute of Technology.
He called for clarification and publicly verifiable evidence of the institutions Von Batten attended.
The ambassador also questioned reports concerning Von Batten’s alleged dealings with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, including a claim that he received $1.2 million for pursuing what Fani-Kayode described as a futile course of action.
Fani-Kayode said the various issues surrounding Von Batten’s activities, claims and professional background warranted greater scrutiny, while accusing him of attempting to use his lobbying and public relations activities to damage President Tinubu’s reputation.
He maintained that the President’s political future would ultimately be determined by God and the Nigerian electorate, rather than by individuals pursuing campaigns against him from outside the country.
“President Tinubu’s destiny and fate is not in your hands but rather in the hands of God and the Nigerian people,” Fani-Kayode declared.
He dismissed the allegations and campaign against the President as lacking substance, expressing confidence that the legal proceedings in the United States would not produce the outcome being sought by Von Batten and his associates.
Fani-Kayode’s intervention adds a fresh dimension to the controversy surrounding the US disclosure proceedings and the allegations being circulated against President Tinubu, with the ambassador challenging his accuser to produce evidence and answer questions concerning his identity, professional background and credentials.
