The controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has continued to generate debate within President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The Presidency has maintained that the PFIPC was never created by the Federal Government and has no legal backing.
However, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims he was appointed as the council’s Director-General, insists the agency existed and has questioned how it was included in the national budget if it was not real.
President Tinubu has directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the matter and submit a report within 30 days.
According to presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, the investigation will focus on alleged forged appointment letters, fake government documents, claims of presidential appointment, bank accounts allegedly opened in the names of government agencies, and the role of anyone who may have helped the council gain official recognition.
The President also ordered ministries, departments and agencies to cooperate fully with the investigation. He stressed that the integrity of government institutions must be protected and that anyone found guilty should face the law.
The controversy stems from a disagreement between the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and Adeyemi.
Gbajabiamila had earlier warned diplomatic missions, financial institutions and members of the public not to deal with Adeyemi, describing him as an impostor and insisting that no agency known as PFIPC exists under the Tinubu administration.
Adeyemi, who is currently facing charges of conspiracy, forgery and impersonation before a Federal High Court in Abuja, has denied wrongdoing.
During a video conversation with social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, Adeyemi said he was willing to submit all documents in his possession to the Department of State Services (DSS) or the Nigeria Police Force to help uncover the truth.
He said investigators should verify the documents and determine how the agency emerged.
Adeyemi also questioned how the PFIPC was included in the national budget despite claims that it never existed.
According to him, he was in police detention between October 27 and November 19 during the period the budget was being prepared. He claimed he was invited by the police over a petition allegedly linked to the Chief of Staff and therefore could not have participated in any budget defence process.
He said no one represented the agency before the National Assembly, making it difficult to understand how the council’s budget was approved and signed into law.
Adeyemi added that by the time he was released from detention and later charged to court, the office allocated to the council had already been reassigned to another government official.
Meanwhile, media aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, has called on President Tinubu to suspend Gbajabiamila and any other officials linked to the controversy pending the outcome of the investigation.
According to Ibe, allowing those allegedly connected to the matter to remain in office could affect the credibility of the probe and create opportunities for interference.
However, human rights lawyer Maximus Ugwuoke defended the President’s decision not to suspend the Chief of Staff at this stage.
Ugwuoke said the investigation should be allowed to determine the facts, noting that every individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty. He added that if evidence eventually shows misconduct by any public official, appropriate action should be taken regardless of status or position.
The lawyer also said the controversy raises serious concerns about document verification, institutional checks and coordination among government agencies.
Political analyst Nduka Odo expressed doubts that Adeyemi could have acted alone.
According to him, it would have been difficult for one person to secure office space, recruit staff and have a budget included in the federal appropriation process without support from influential individuals within government.
Odo argued that only a thorough and independent investigation can reveal who may have been involved and how the council allegedly operated.
Similarly, President of the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN), Olu Omotayo, said the controversy has raised questions about the credibility of public institutions and the budget approval process.
He called for a transparent investigation and urged authorities to explain how a council now described as non-existent appeared in the national budget.
As investigations continue, the PFIPC controversy is expected to remain a major issue for the Tinubu administration, with growing calls for accountability and answers on how the agency allegedly gained official recognition.
