The controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has continued to generate nationwide attention, with fresh developments piling pressure on the administration of President Bola Tinubu after the Presidency maintained that the agency never legally existed.

The development comes as Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims he was appointed Director-General of the council, declared his readiness to surrender himself and every document in his possession to either the Department of State Services (DSS) or the Nigeria Police Force to assist ongoing investigations.

Adeyemi also questioned how the alleged agency was included in the national budget despite repeated claims by the Presidency that no such organisation was ever established.

PulseNets learnt that Adeyemi made the remarks during a conversation with social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the activities of the PFIPC and every issue connected to the controversy.

The President also ordered the anti-graft agency to conclude its investigation within 30 days and submit a detailed report.

According to a statement obtained by PulseNets from Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, the directive followed the discovery of what the Presidency described as a fictitious organisation that was never created by the Federal Government and has no legal backing through any presidential approval, executive instrument or lawful government action.

“One Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew presented himself as the Director-General of the so-called PFIPC and falsely claimed to be a presidential appointee.

“Among the issues to be investigated by the ICPC are the forged appointment letters and other official government documents; the use of a false claim of presidential appointment to seek or obtain official recognition and diplomatic support, including visa facilitation; and the opening of multiple bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies using allegedly forged documents.

“President Tinubu directed the ICPC to investigate not only the conduct of the principal individual and other collaborators involved but also the wider circumstances that may have enabled a fictitious body and a false claim of presidential appointment to acquire an appearance of official legitimacy.

“The investigation is to examine the provenance and use of false official documents; the processes through which official recognition or diplomatic support may have been sought or obtained; the opening and operation of any related bank accounts; the source and movement of any funds involved; and the role of any public officer, private individual, financial institution, intermediary or other person or entity that may have facilitated, enabled or participated in the alleged scheme.

“The President further directed the Commission to identify any weaknesses in government and institutional procedures that may have been exploited and to recommend immediate measures to prevent the recurrence of similar abuses.

“All ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government have been directed to provide the ICPC, upon lawful request, with all relevant information, records and assistance required for the expeditious completion of the investigation.

“President Tinubu stated that the integrity of the Presidency and the institutions of the Federal Government must be protected against impersonation, forgery, abuse of official identity and the exploitation of weaknesses in the public service.

“The President directed that all persons found culpable be treated strictly in accordance with applicable law.”

PulseNets reports that the controversy centres on a dispute involving the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and Adeyemi over the existence of the council.

Gbajabiamila had earlier issued a disclaimer warning diplomatic missions, financial institutions, development partners and members of the public against engaging with Adeyemi, insisting that no agency known as the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council exists under the Tinubu administration.

The Presidency also maintained that no appointment was ever made for such an office and urged Nigerians to disregard contrary claims.

Adeyemi, who insists he is the council’s Director-General, is currently facing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja on allegations bordering on conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.

The Federal Government has listed Gbajabiamila and 10 other individuals as prosecution witnesses in the case.

I will submit myself to DSS, Adeyemi says

During his video conversation with VeryDarkMan, Adeyemi disclosed that he would voluntarily present himself before the DSS or the Nigeria Police Force together with all documents in his possession for verification.

He maintained that security agencies should authenticate the documents and establish how the agency came into existence as well as identify everyone involved.

“I’m willing and ready to help security agencies or panel set by the Mr President to unravel the truth. In fact, any moment from now, I will go to DSS or police to submit all the document I have to help them investigate and look into this matter.

“You will see any moment from now I will go. I’ll go to any DSS to submit my document, all I have. They should authenticate it. They should verify it. Then they should unravel the truth.”

Adeyemi also questioned how the agency eventually appeared in the national budget despite claims that it never existed.

He alleged that he was being held by the Nigeria Police during the period the budget was being prepared and therefore had no involvement in any budget defence.

According to him, he honoured a police invitation on October 27 following a petition reportedly submitted by Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila over the activities of the PFIPC.

Adeyemi claimed he spent 23 days in detention before being arraigned in court on November 27.

He further stated that by the time he regained his freedom, the office allocated to the agency had already been reassigned to another government official, adding that he had not returned there since his arrest.

Adeyemi insisted that neither he nor anyone representing the council defended any budget before the National Assembly, describing the agency’s appearance in the appropriation document as confusing.

He wondered how lawmakers and other government authorities allegedly failed to identify what the Presidency now describes as a non-existent agency before approving the budget.

“You see this whole thing is confusing, as in very confusing. When the presidency, through the chief of staff, said the agency does not exist, I wondered.

“How come the agency found its way to the national budget, that both the Senate, where we have so many experienced senators, 360 members of representatives, would detect that this is a fake agency, then transmitted to the president to sign.

“How come the chief of staff is not aware that the said agency is inside the budget? So that’s why I’m confused, and that gave me the audacity to come out to do a rebuttal of his disclaimer, like two weeks ago.

“I’m not the one. During the preparation for budget, I was invited by the Nigerian Police Force. I was invited to come and respond to a petition from the Chief of Staff to the President, questioning my activity of the said agency.

“I honored the invitation. So they asked me so many questions. How did the agency come to force? I gave them the appointment letter. Then they asked me who helped you to get the appointment letter. I gave them the number, the name, everything.

“I was in detention for good 23 days. I was arrested or invited on 27th of October and released on 19th of November.

“I was in detention during the period for the preparation of budget.

“I did not defend the budget, and nobody went for the defence. That’s why I am confused that how come the budget that nobody defended it still finds its way into the national budget.

“By the time I came out from the detention, on 19 November, I was charged to court on 27th of November, and the said office space has been reallocated to another government officials. So I’ve not been going to office since that 27th of October. So that’s why I’m confused: how does the agency find its way to the national budget?

“I wouldn’t say he (Gbajabiamila) is lying, and I wouldn’t say he’s saying the truth. That’s why I requested, if you see from my press conference, I said I plead with Mr President to set up an investigative panel to look into this whole issue and unravel the truth, so we know who are involved.”

Atiku’s aide asks Tinubu to suspend Gbajabiamila

Reacting to the development, media aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, urged President Tinubu to suspend Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila and every other official allegedly linked to the controversy pending the outcome of the investigation.

PulseNets reports that Ibe made the call in a post on X after the President ordered the ICPC to investigate the alleged council and Adeyemi.

According to him, allowing key figures to remain in office during the investigation could compromise the credibility of the exercise.

“It is flagrantly wrong for President Bola Tinubu to order the ICPC to investigate the so-called ‘fake’ agency, Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) and its ‘phantom’ Director General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew without asking the key suspects, including his Chief of Staff, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, to go on suspension pending the conclusion of the investigation.”

He added:

“Not suspending all those involved in the #GbajaGate scandal is akin to them being a judge in their own case. Their continued stay in office while the investigation is going on gives them the opportunity to interfere with the investigation process.”

Lawyer backs Tinubu’s directive

Human rights lawyer Maximus Ugwuoke told PulseNets that President Tinubu’s decision to order an investigation was appropriate, stressing that the exercise should uncover the truth and expose any institutional failures connected with the controversy.

He maintained that the investigation should determine how the alleged agency operated if the Presidency insists it never legally existed.

Ugwuoke also defended the President’s decision not to ask Gbajabiamila to step aside, saying the principle of presumption of innocence remains fundamental until credible evidence establishes wrongdoing.

“The issue surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) is a very delicate one. It is another reminder that allegations involving public institutions must be approached with caution and investigated thoroughly rather than decided in the court of public opinion.

“The President’s directive to the ICPC to investigate the matter within 30 days is an appropriate step. Allegations of this nature require an independent fact-finding process.”

He added that any official found culpable after the investigation should face the appropriate legal and disciplinary measures while reforms should be introduced to prevent future abuses.

Adeyemi could not have acted alone, analyst says

Political analyst and communication expert at Peaceland University, Enugu, Nduka Odo, told PulseNets that the controversy suggests Adeyemi could not have operated without support from influential individuals within government.

According to him, no individual could have secured office space, recruited staff and had an agency captured in the national budget without high-level backing.

Odo argued that only an independent investigation can establish who facilitated the alleged operations, while describing the controversy as another reflection of concerns over corruption and public financial management.

“Right now, one thing is clear: Mr. Adeyemi could not have acted all by himself. He couldn’t have appointed himself, approved his own office at federal secretariat, approved the council’s recruitment, and entered its budget into the Federal Appropriation.

“He had people he worked with. And those are people who possess the capacity to override bureaucracies.”

Rights advocate questions National Assembly’s role

President of the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN), Barrister Olu Omotayo, also spoke to PulseNets, describing the controversy as one that raises serious questions about the credibility of Nigeria’s public institutions.

While cautioning against premature conclusions before the ICPC concludes its assignment, he said attention should focus on ensuring a transparent investigation.

Omotayo maintained that if the Presidency insists the PFIPC never existed, the National Assembly should explain how funds for such an agency allegedly appeared in the approved national budget.

Also Read: Fake Government Agency Scandal: Fresh Revelations Emerge as Civil Servants Detail Activities Inside Alleged PFIPC Office

He further argued that lawmakers should be leading calls for a comprehensive investigation rather than remaining silent.

“The problem with our democracy is that politicians like covering themselves. They believe that if someone does wrong and once he’s in their party they must cover that person.

“Definitely it affects the image of the government. The budget for the agency was before the senate and it was approved. If you say it’s a fake agency, then it makes mockery of our institutions.

“Why would the senate make such a mistake? They should be the one at the forefront asking for investigation in this matter.

“I’m surprised that the National Assembly hasn’t issued any statements or ordered investigation demanding appropriate agency to investigate.”