![Senate Plenary [PHOTO CREDIT: @NgrSenate]](https://i0.wp.com/media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2022/06/289380953_406782608161063_8537710940396434633_n.jpg?fit=1280%2C852&ssl=1)
The Senate has rejected a motion seeking to investigate the circumstances surrounding the inclusion of the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) in the 2026 budget, which saw ₦1.3 billion appropriated for the entity.
The upper chamber reached this decision on Wednesday, following a majority vote against the motion sponsored by Kawu Sumaila (APC, Kano South). Lawmakers decided against a legislative probe, noting that the Presidency has already directed the antigraft body, ICPC, to investigate the matter. The Senate stated that it would await the ICPC findings before deciding on further action.
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This decision came 24 hours after Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu defended the National Assembly’s role in the budgetary allocation, insisting that the ₦1.3 billion was neither recommended nor inserted by lawmakers. Mr Adaramodu, who represents Ekiti South Senatorial District, argued that the National Assembly is not constitutionally responsible for conducting security checks on individuals appointed to head government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
The Dissent
During Wednesday’s plenary session, Mr Sumaila challenged the Senate’s position, arguing that the upper chamber could not distance itself from the controversy as it had ultimately appropriated the funds.
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“Inclusion of a purported non-existent or unauthorised entity in the national budget undermines the credibility of the appropriation process, exposes weaknesses in international budgetary scrutiny, erodes public confidence in the National Assembly and subjects the federal government to avoidable domestic and international criticism regarding transparency, accountability, and fiscal governance,” Mr Sumaila stated.
He warned that public trust in the National Assembly’s oversight functions would continue to decline unless the allocation was thoroughly scrutinised. He urged the Senate to condemn the administrative lapses that allowed a fake agency to operate and called for a mandate for the Committees on Ethics, Privileges, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, and Appropriations to investigate how the allocation was proposed and approved.
Presidency Position
Responding to the motion, the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who presided over the session, opposed the request. He noted that President Bola Tinubu had already tasked the ICPC with a full investigation. “I believe that what we need to do at this stage is to have the report of the ICPC, and then we can act on that report, deal with it as we feel appropriate,” Mr Jibrin said.
The motion was subsequently defeated by a voice vote. This outcome contrasts with the House of Representatives, which recently adopted a motion to investigate the allocation of ₦1.3 billion to the same agency.
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Background
The controversy stems from allegations against Adeniyi Adeyemi, who has been declared wanted for allegedly presenting himself as the director-general of the PFIPC and the Presidential Executive Advisory Council (PEAC)—both of which the Presidency maintains do not exist. Authorities accuse Mr Adeyemi of forging official government documents.
Mr Adeyemi, who is currently in hiding, has denied forging appointment letters, describing the allegations as an attempt to silence him. He had previously accused the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, of demanding a 48 per cent share of the ₦1.3 billion budget allocation.
On Tuesday, Mr Gbajabiamila issued a 72-hour ultimatum to Mr Adeyemi to retract these allegations or face a ₦10 billion defamation suit and criminal proceedings. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has since called on the federal government to launch an independent investigation into the affair.
