President Bola Tinubu’s aide has accused US Senator Ted Cruz of carrying out a “hatchet job” in Washington on behalf of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Tinubu’s spokesman, Temitope Ajayi, made the allegation in a short post on X on Tuesday.

Ajayi claimed that Cruz’s recent campaign against Nigeria over alleged persecution of Christians was influenced by payments from a lobbyist linked to Biafran separatists.

He alleged that US Federal Election Commission filings show Elias Gerasoulis, a lobbyist for the secessionist Biafra movement, paid nearly $20,000 to Cruz in recent months.

He accused Cruz of “pushing a false narrative of Christian genocide” in Nigeria and of being used by Biafran groups to encourage American evangelical and MAGA supporters.

Ajayi wrote, “It is obvious Republican Senator Ted Cruz is doing a hatchet job in the US on behalf of IPOB loonies. It is on record through official filings to the US Federal Election Commission that Elias Gerasoulis, who is a lobbyist for secessionist Biafra, paid nearly $20,000 to Senator Ted Cruz, who is sponsoring a bill on Christian persecution and pushing the false narrative of ‘Christian Genocide’ in Nigeria in the last four months.

“Since Biafra lobbyists and foot soldiers in the US and Europe have lost the argument in their poor attempt to frame the criminal activities of IPOB/ESN in South-Eastern Nigeria as self-determination, they are now hiding under religious persecution to rile up the evangelicals and President Trump’s MAGA base.”

The issue revolves around Cruz’s legislative push to impose US sanctions on Nigerian officials accused of facilitating violence against Christians, which is supported by President Donald Trump’s recent designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern for Religious Freedom Violations.

Reacting to Trump’s announcement to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, Cruz said, “I am deeply gratified to President Trump for making this determination. I have fought for years to counter the slaughter and persecution of Christians in Nigeria, and this year introduced legislation that will lock in the designation made today.

“Today’s designation is a critical step in holding accountable and changing the behaviour of Nigerian officials who have facilitated and created an environment conducive to the outrages in Nigeria. My legislation implements additional steps, including targeting those who implement blasphemy and sharia laws in Nigeria, and I am committed to working with the administration and my colleagues to advance my bill and implement these necessary measures. Today’s decision by President Trump is a great one, and I thank him for his strong leadership.”

Trump, on Saturday, ordered the military to prepare for action in Nigeria to tackle Islamist militant groups, accusing the Nigerian government of failing to protect Christians in the country.

Trump claimed that Christianity is facing an “existential threat” in Nigeria while accusing “radical Islamists” of being responsible for “mass slaughter”.

He wrote in a social media post that he had instructed the US Department of War to prepare for “possible action”.

The US president said, “If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.

“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!”

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth then replied to the post by writing, “Yes, sir. The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”