Atiku calls for probe of Gbajabiamila-Adeyemi scandal, says NASS failed

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on the federal government to institute an independent investigation into the controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).

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Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2027 election, stated that Nigerians deserve to know whether Adeniyi Adeyemi, the man accused of forging government appointment letters and posing as the director-general of the alleged agency, acted alone or with the backing of government officials.

The former vice president made the demand in a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.

“Something is fundamentally wrong within the machinery of this administration. Nigerians deserve the whole truth, not carefully scripted press statements. We therefore demand a truly independent investigation that follows the evidence wherever it leads. No sacred cows. No political protection. No selective justice,” he said.

The presidency has accused Mr Adeyemi of forging government appointment letters and other documents, and of falsely presenting himself as the director-general of the PFIPC and PEAC—agencies it maintains do not exist.

In a statement on Wednesday, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said police had charged Mr Adeyemi and two other defendants with eight counts at the Federal High Court. He noted that the case, filed on 27 November 2025, is scheduled for a hearing on 27 July.

Mr Onanuga added that concerns about the fake agency first surfaced after officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) complained that another body appeared to be performing functions similar to theirs.

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He stated that Femi Gbajabiamila, the chief of staff to President Bola Tinubu, petitioned the State Security Service (SSS, also called the DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force on 17 October 2025, requesting an investigation into Mr Adeyemi and his associates.

In the petition, Mr Gbajabiamila alleged that appointment letters purportedly issued from his office to the individuals bore falsified signatures, seals, and reference numbers, which were used to claim appointments into non-existent government entities.

However, Mr Adeyemi, who has since gone into hiding, told PREMIUM TIMES earlier on Thursday that he did not forge any appointment letters. He alleged that the government’s claims were a defensive move to silence him. He also maintained that the agency was established in 2024 and claimed his life was in danger.

Budget allocation questioned

Since the allegation became public, it has generated controversy, particularly regarding concerns that ₦1.3 billion was appropriated to the PFIPC in the 2026 Appropriation Act, despite the Presidency’s claim that the agency does not exist.

Atiku questioned how funds could be appropriated for an agency the Presidency insists does not exist. He also criticised the National Assembly’s scrutiny of the budget, arguing that the agency should never have appeared in the appropriation process if it were fictitious.

“On one hand, it insists that the PFIPC never existed and was nothing more than an elaborate scam. On the other hand, public records reportedly reveal that approximately ₦1.3 billion was appropriated for that very council in the 2026 Appropriation Act, listed alongside the Presidential Economic Advisory Council.

“This contradiction is too monumental to ignore. If the agency was fictitious, who prepared the budget estimates bearing its name? Which ministry submitted them? Which officials defended those estimates before the National Assembly? Which committees scrutinised them? Which lawmakers approved them? Who inserted the allocation into the Appropriation Bill? And ultimately, who signed that budget into law?” he said.

The former vice president said the development exposed the National Assembly’s failure to carry out effective oversight of the executive. “The National Assembly stands thoroughly exposed. Billions of naira allegedly found their way into the national budget for an agency the Presidency now claims never existed, yet lawmakers neither detected the anomaly nor demanded explanations. That is not oversight; it is legislative abdication.”

CBN, EFCC criticised

Atiku also questioned the role of the Central Bank of Nigeria, asserting that Nigerians deserve an explanation as to how a supposedly non-existent agency was able to operate bank accounts.

“The Central Bank of Nigeria cannot escape scrutiny either. Nigerians deserve to know how an alleged fictitious agency reportedly navigated financial processes that ordinary businesses struggle to complete. If regulatory safeguards exist only on paper, then the integrity of our financial institutions is itself under serious question,” he stated.

READ ALSO: Gbajabiamila/Adeyemi Scandal: Controversial DG of govt-disowned agency speaks from hiding

The presidential candidate further criticised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accusing the anti-graft agency of selective prosecution. “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has also been exposed by its selective zeal. An agency established to combat corruption appears increasingly consumed with pursuing opposition figures while exhibiting remarkable hesitation whenever allegations point towards the corridors of power. Anti-corruption loses all credibility when it becomes selective prosecution,” he said.