A US-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C, has deleted an X post announcing a purported appointment of Karl Von Batten, the firm’s managing partner, to a White House position.
The firm had shared a post that US President Donald Trump appointed Von Batten to serve as a commissioner on a White House presidential commission.
The post read: “Dr. Von Batten is deeply grateful to President Trump (The Chief) for this appointment and for the confidence placed in him,” the firm said in the now-deleted statement on Wednesday.
“This presidential appointment represents a tremendous honor and reflects Dr. Von Batten’s longstanding commitment to public service, leadership, and our nation.
“Dr. Von Batten looks forward to answering the call to serve our President and country.”
However, the firm did not specify the commission to which Von Batten was purportedly appointed.
There has been no official communication from the White House confirming or denying the purported appointment of Von Batten.
The post was also no longer on the lobbyist’s official page.
The announcement was widely reported locally and internationally, triggering concerns that the lobbyist’s purported new role could further complicate an already rocky relationship between President Bola Tinubu and Washington, which has been strained over the past year by allegations of Christian genocide in Nigeria, as well as US sanctions and visa restrictions.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had earlier this year hired Von Batten’s firm to protect and strengthen his “reputational standing” in the US ahead of the 2027 polls.
The 12-month agreement was reportedly worth $1.2 million. Since then, the lobbying firm has stepped up its criticism of Tinubu, who is seeking re-election.
Over the past weeks, the firm has sought to bring Tinubu’s past dealings with US drug-enforcement into the spotlight, including by filing Freedom of Information Act (FOI) requests and lawsuits seeking US records relating to the president.
Von Batten said he had also briefed senior members of Trump’s team on allegations of misappropriation of US-funded World Bank loans by senior members of the Nigerian government.
Sunday Dare, Tinubu’s special adviser on media and public communication, said Von Batten was appointed to an unpaid education commission and not a White House policymaking position.
According to Dare, the appointment was to the commission on presidential scholars, an education panel administered by the US department of education.
The presidential spokesperson said the commission has no responsibility for American foreign policy, national security, diplomacy, or relations with Nigeria.
Von Batten did not refute the report.
But responding to Dare, the lobbyist said, “President @realDonaldTrump is the greatest American President, greatest American President, and it is an honor to even be thought of for any role associated with his Administration, paid or unpaid,”
“I am proud of my President and would serve for free for a thousand years if he asked.”
Von Batten said he was proud to have been asked to serve “helping recognize the best of the best” among America’s young men and women.
