Karl Von Batten, a lobbyist associated with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has reposted an announcement concerning his reported appointment by US President Donald Trump to a White House presidential commission, reversing an earlier decision to remove the post from social media.
Von Batten restored the announcement late Sunday, roughly 24 hours after deleting it from the verified X account of his firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. The development came after he had said the original post was removed following an intervention from the White House over complaints allegedly made by the Nigerian government.
The renewed post announced that Von Batten had been appointed on August 31, 2026, as a commissioner on the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars. The statement described the appointment as an honour and expressed appreciation to Trump for selecting Von Batten for the position.
“We are glad to announce that on August 31, 2026, Dr Von Batten was appointed by President Donald J. Trump to serve as a Commissioner on the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars,” the statement said.
The firm also used the announcement to express its support for the US president, saying it would remain grateful to Trump for what it described as the honour conferred on Von Batten. The post concluded with a political declaration wishing the United States well and calling for those opposed to the country to fail.
The decision to restore the post marks a reversal from the position taken a day earlier, when Von Batten removed the announcement and subsequently explained that the deletion followed communication from the White House.
Why the appointment post was deleted
According to Von Batten’s earlier explanation, the announcement was taken down after the White House informed him that the Nigerian government had repeatedly contacted officials to complain about his appointment.
That explanation placed the deletion of the post within a politically sensitive context involving Nigeria, Washington and Von Batten’s activities as a lobbyist. However, the claim about communications between the Nigerian government and the White House was presented by Von Batten and has not been independently established in the information provided.
The subsequent repost means the appointment announcement is once again publicly available on the firm’s verified social media account.
The episode has consequently drawn attention to the circumstances surrounding the appointment, particularly because of Von Batten’s reported professional links to political and investigative activities involving Nigeria.
Firm linked to Nigeria-related investigation
Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. has been identified in the report as the firm investigating an alleged drug-trafficking case linked to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.
The allegation concerns an investigation associated with the Nigerian president, but the supplied report does not provide further details establishing the substance or outcome of that investigation. It is therefore not presented here as a proven finding.
Von Batten’s association with Atiku Abubakar has also placed the development within Nigeria’s highly contested political environment. Atiku, a former vice president and political opponent of President Tinubu, has remained a major figure in opposition politics.
Against that backdrop, Von Batten’s reported appointment to a White House commission, the subsequent deletion of the announcement and its eventual reposting are likely to attract scrutiny in Nigeria.
Appointment announcement restored
The restored statement specifically dates the appointment to August 31, 2026, and identifies Von Batten as a commissioner on the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars.
The announcement did not, in the material provided, explain the responsibilities attached to his position or provide further details about the circumstances surrounding Trump’s selection.
Instead, the firm’s message focused on expressing gratitude for the appointment and highlighting its view of Trump’s presidency.
Von Batten’s decision to republish the announcement less than a day after deleting it has now brought the appointment back into public view. His earlier explanation for removing the post, however, means that attention is likely to remain focused not only on the appointment itself but also on the reported complaints that he said prompted its temporary removal.
For now, the key development is that the announcement that had disappeared from the firm’s verified X account has been restored, with Von Batten again publicly presenting himself as a Trump-appointed commissioner on the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars.
Atiku’s Lobbyist Karl Von Batten Reposts Deleted Trump Appointment Announcement
