The controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) intensified on Wednesday as the council’s embattled Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, expressed his willingness to cooperate with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in investigating how the agency secured a N1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 budget.
Adeyemi’s position followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive to the ICPC to conduct a 30-day investigation into the council after the Presidency described the PFIPC as a non-existent and fraudulent body.
The unfolding scandal has also exposed sharp divisions within the National Assembly over the appropriate response to the issue. While the House of Representatives moved to establish an ad hoc committee to investigate how the alleged “ghost” agency managed to pass through the required budgetary processes and receive funding, the Senate rejected a move for a separate legislative probe.
Instead, the Senate opted to wait for the outcome of the anti-corruption investigation ordered by the executive arm of government, creating a clear split between both chambers of the federal legislature over the matter.
The controversy has generated intense political reactions, with opposition figures questioning the handling of the investigation. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) criticised President Tinubu’s directive to the ICPC, arguing that the Presidency should not oversee a probe into a matter involving officials within its own administration.
They maintained that the government cannot serve as “judge and jury” in a scandal of such magnitude, particularly where senior government officials have been linked to the controversy.
Am Ready To Surrender All Document - Adeyemi
The embattled Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, has pledged to provide security agencies with official documents in his possession to aid investigations into the controversy surrounding the agency’s existence and its inclusion in the 2026 national budget.
Speaking during a social media interview with internet personality VeryDarkMan from his hideout, Adeyemi said he was ready to cooperate with any investigative body constituted by the government to establish the facts behind the council’s operations and funding.
“I am willing and ready to help security agencies or any panel set up by Mr President to unravel the truth. In fact, any moment from now, I will go to the DSS or the police to submit all the documents I have to help them investigate and look into this matter,” he said.
He urged the authorities to independently verify the documents and determine the authenticity of the records surrounding the controversial agency.
“They should authenticate them. They should verify them. They should unravel the truth,” Adeyemi added.
Reacting to claims that he was responsible for inserting the council’s allocation into the national budget, Adeyemi expressed confusion over how an agency that had been publicly disowned by the Presidency could have appeared in the country’s financial document.
“When the Presidency said the agency does not exist, I wondered how an agency that found its way into the national budget could suddenly be described as fake,” he said.
The PFIPC head further explained that he was not involved in the preparation or defence of the budget because he was in detention during the period the process was ongoing.
“I was in detention for 23 days during the period the budget was being prepared. I did not prepare or defend any budget, and nobody went to defend it on my behalf. That is why I am confused about how the agency found its way into the national budget,” he stated.
Addressing his earlier allegations against the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, Adeyemi said he would not determine whether the former Speaker was truthful or otherwise, insisting that only a formal investigation could reveal the facts.
“I wouldn’t say he’s lying, and I wouldn’t say he’s telling the truth. That is why I requested that Mr President set up an investigative panel to unravel the truth so we will know those involved,” he said.
Adeyemi also alleged that he survived an attack by gunmen near Zuma Rock in September 2025 while maintaining that his involvement with PFIPC was motivated by his desire to attract foreign investment into Nigeria.
“I don’t really have a negative plan. It’s all about passion for the country. That agency is to bring foreign investors to Nigeria and make Nigeria a preferred destination for investment,” he said.
Reps track N1.3bn budget line, allege systemic failure
Members of the House of Representatives have expressed concern over the circumstances surrounding the operations of the disputed Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), after allegations emerged that a non-existent body operated from the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja for almost a year and secured a N1.3 billion allocation in the national budget.
The lawmakers raised the alarm during plenary at the Green Chamber, questioning how the council was able to engage foreign diplomatic missions and obtain funding under budget code 0111062001 despite concerns over its legal status.
Leading the debate through a motion of urgent public importance, Yusuf Gagdi warned that the development exposed serious weaknesses in Nigeria’s budget approval and appropriation processes.
“The entity allegedly relied on documents claiming to be an Act codified as Chapter N2117 of the Laws of the Federation, whereas no such legislation exists. The nearest existing law is the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, NIPC Act, which the purported council appeared to duplicate,” Gagdi said.
Following the debate, the House mandated its ad hoc committee investigating the matter to complete its assignment within four weeks. The committee was also directed to invite the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning and the Director-General of the Budget Office to explain alleged failures in the verification process that allowed the council’s inclusion in the appropriation framework.
The lawmakers further instructed the committee to conduct a review of all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) captured in the 2025 and 2026 budget documents, ensuring that each organisation has a valid legal instrument establishing it. The committee was also asked to engage relevant security and anti-corruption agencies while avoiding interference with the ongoing court proceedings.
In another resolution, the House directed the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to suspend any payment or release of funds to the disputed council until investigations are concluded.
The lawmakers also resolved that future Appropriation Bills submitted by the Budget Office must include a detailed list of all proposed beneficiaries, alongside the laws establishing each agency, as part of measures to prevent similar controversies.
Supporting the motion, Chairman of the House Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Ahmed Satomi, described the controversy as a major threat to the credibility of Nigeria’s budgetary system.
“This is a nationally important issue. We must investigate it thoroughly because it affects the sanctity of our budget process and the confidence Nigerians have in parliament,” Satomi said.
Adding a new dimension to the debate, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu disclosed that his office had also been misled by representatives of the council because of the official-looking documents and approvals they presented.
Kalu expressed concern that official letterheads and access to government facilities could no longer be considered enough proof of legitimacy for organisations seeking recognition.
“The experience shows that a letterhead bearing the Presidency or an office in the federal secretariat is no longer sufficient proof that an organisation is legally established,” Kalu said.
He explained that the group had presented documents dated May 2, 2025, carrying the logos of both the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and the PFIPC, alongside what appeared to be a functional government website, which contributed to the credibility the organisation projected.
Govt drowning in scandals can’t investigate itself — ADC
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has rejected the decision to involve the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in the investigation into the controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), warning that the anti-corruption agency may not be sufficiently independent due to its relationship with the executive arm of government.
The opposition party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, aligned with the position of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who had earlier questioned the credibility of an investigation being handled by an agency perceived to be under government influence.
Abdullahi accused the Presidency of attempting to shape public opinion by declaring documents linked to the embattled PFIPC Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, as “forgeries” before the ICPC had conducted any forensic examination.
“A government that is drowning in scandals cannot be trusted to investigate itself. A Presidency that is at the very heart of a historic scandal such as this does not have the credibility to authorise an investigation into a matter that has brought an entire country into disrepute,” Abdullahi stated.
The ADC argued that an independent inquiry was necessary to establish whether the documents connected to the controversial council were fabricated, unlawfully obtained, fraudulently issued, or legitimately approved through official channels.
The party also condemned reports that security operatives arrested Adeyemi’s elderly father, describing the action as an attempt to intimidate those connected to the matter.
“The investigation must be allowed to independently determine whether the documents were forged, improperly issued, fraudulently obtained, or lawfully issued under the authority of the Presidency,” the party said.
It added that the reported arrest could further fuel suspicion that the government was more interested in suppressing information than uncovering the truth.
“This act of intimidation (arresting the father) only strengthens the impression that government is panicking and is desperate to hide the truth rather than uncover it,” the ADC stated.