Atiku’s lobbyist removes Trump appointment post after Tinubu aide clarifies commission role

Karl Von Batten, a Washington-based lobbyist working for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has deleted a social media post announcing his appointment by U.S. President Donald Trump to a White House commission.The post, originally published on the verified X account of Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., claimed that Von Batten had been named a commissioner. However, the announcement was later removed after criticism from Sunday Dare, a media aide to President Bola Tinubu.Dare clarified that the appointment was to the Commission on Presidential Scholars, an education-focused panel under the U.S. Department of Education, stressing that it has no role in foreign policy, national security, or U.S.–Nigeria relations.Von Batten, who has been engaged by Atiku to bolster his reputation in the United States, has also been vocal in pushing for the release of U.S. law enforcement records allegedly linked to President Tinubu.The deletion of the post has fueled debate over the significance of the appointment and the broader lobbying efforts surrounding Nigeria’s 2027 elections.

Former Vice President Atiku’s lobbyist, Karl Von Batten, has deleted his social media post in which he announced that United States President Donald Trump appointed him as a commissioner to a White House presidential commission. Checks on the verified X account of his firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., where the post was published, show that the […] Atiku’s lobbyist deletes Trump appointment post after Tinubu aide’s comment