Atiku’s Lobbyist Deletes Post On Purported Trump Commission Appointment

US-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C, has deleted an X post announcing the purported appointment of its managing partner, Karl Von Batten, to a position on a White House presidential commission.

The firm had announced on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump appointed Von Batten as a commissioner on a White House presidential commission.

However, the firm did not identify the commission or provide details about the nature of the purported appointment.

The announcement was subsequently removed from the firm’s official X page, while no official statement confirming or denying the appointment has been issued by the White House.

In the now-deleted post, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C said Karl Von Batten was grateful to President Donald Trump for the appointment and the confidence placed in him.

“Dr. Von Batten is deeply grateful to President Trump (The Chief) for this appointment and for the confidence placed in him,” the firm said.

The firm described the purported appointment as an honour and linked it to Von Batten’s record of public service and leadership.

“This presidential appointment represents a tremendous honor and reflects Dr. Von Batten’s longstanding commitment to public service, leadership, and our nation,” the statement said.

It added: “Dr. Von Batten looks forward to answering the call to serve our President and country.”

The firm’s deletion of the post has left the status of the purported appointment unclear, particularly in the absence of a corresponding announcement from the White House.

As of the time of filing this report, there was no official communication from the White House confirming or denying that Karl Von Batten had been appointed to a presidential commission.

The announcement had attracted significant attention locally and internationally, amid the political and diplomatic sensitivities surrounding Von Batten’s work for former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Earlier this year, Atiku hired Von Batten’s firm under a 12-month agreement reportedly valued at $1.2 million to protect and strengthen his “reputational standing” in the United States ahead of the 2027 elections.

Following the engagement, the lobbying firm increased its public scrutiny of President Bola Tinubu, who is seeking re-election.

In recent weeks, the firm has sought to draw attention to President Bola Tinubu’s past dealings with US drug-enforcement authorities, including through Freedom of Information Act (FOI) requests and lawsuits seeking access to US records relating to the president.

The activities have taken place against the backdrop of an already strained relationship between Nigeria and the United States, with issues including allegations of Christian genocide in Nigeria, as well as US sanctions and visa restrictions, featuring prominently in the bilateral discourse.

The purported appointment of Von Batten therefore generated further interest because of his firm’s ongoing activities relating to Nigerian political affairs and its engagement on behalf of Atiku Abubakar.

Von Batten has also said he briefed senior members of President Donald Trump’s team on allegations of misappropriation of US-funded World Bank loans by senior members of the Nigerian government.

The allegation has not been established in the announcement concerning his purported appointment, and no official response from the Nigerian government was cited in connection with the claim.

The removal of the appointment announcement from the lobbying firm’s X page, coupled with the absence of a public confirmation from the White House, means that the circumstances surrounding the purported appointment remain unclear.

The White House and Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C had not, as of the time of filing, provided a further public explanation for the deleted announcement.
(Daily trust)