Atiku Demands Probe of Gbajabiamila-Adeyemi Scandal, Says NASS Failed Nigerians

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for an independent investigation into the controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), saying the conflicting claims surrounding the alleged agency raise serious questions about accountability within President Bola Tinubu's administration.

In a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said Nigerians deserve to know whether Adeniyi Adeyemi, the man accused of posing as the Director-General of the PFIPC and forging government appointment letters acted alone or enjoyed the backing of government officials.

"Something is fundamentally wrong within the machinery of this administration. Nigerians deserve the whole truth, not carefully scripted press statements," Atiku said.

"We therefore demand a truly independent investigation that follows the evidence wherever it leads. No sacred cows. No political protection. No selective justice."

The Presidency had earlier accused Adeyemi of forging official appointment letters and other government documents while falsely presenting himself as the head of the PFIPC and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), agencies it insists do not exist.

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said Adeyemi and two others had been charged before the Federal High Court on an e ight-count charge, with the case scheduled for hearing on July 27.

According to Onanuga, concerns about the alleged fake agency emerged after the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) reported that another body appeared to be performing functions similar to its statutory responsibilities.

He said the President's Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force on October 17, 2025, requesting an investigation after appointment letters allegedly issued from his office were discovered to contain forged signatures, seals and reference numbers.

Adeyemi, however, has denied the allegations.

Speaking earlier on Thursday, he maintained that he did not forge any appointment letters and claimed the government was attempting to silence him. He also insisted that the PFIPC was established in 2024 and alleged that his life was in danger.

Questions Over ₦1.3bn Budget Allocation

Atiku also questioned reports that about ₦1.3 billion was appropriated for the PFIPC in the 2026 Appropriation Act, despite the Presidency's insistence that the agency never existed.

He argued that the contradiction raises serious concerns about the integrity of Nigeria's budgeting process.

"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," he said.

"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?"

National Assembly, CBN and EFCC Criticised

The former vice president said the controversy exposed what he described as the National Assembly's failure to effectively scrutinise the federal budget.

"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," he said.

Atiku also questioned how a supposedly non-existent government agency was allegedly able to operate bank accounts, saying the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should explain whether proper regulatory safeguards were followed.

"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," he said.

He 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," Atiku said.

"Anti-corruption loses all credibility when it becomes selective prosecution."