The controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) took a fresh twist on Friday as Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew levelled a series of allegations against the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, and called on President Bola Tinubu to establish an independent panel to investigate the matter.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Adeyemi dismissed the Office of the Chief of Staff’s disclaimer distancing itself from the PFIPC and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), insisting that the issues surrounding the alleged agencies required answers rather than official denials.
The development comes barely days after the Presidency announced that criminal charges had been filed against Adeyemi over allegations of forgery, impersonation and operating what it described as a fictitious government agency. The Federal Government has maintained that the PFIPC does not exist and that the matter is now before the Federal High Court.
Addressing journalists, Adeyemi insisted that he would not be intimidated or silenced, maintaining that the controversy had exposed questions about governance, accountability and the integrity of public institutions.
He challenged the Chief of Staff’s position that the PFIPC was non-existent, alleging that references to the agency appeared on pages 50 and 51 of the 2026 Appropriation Act.
According to him, if the agency truly did not exist, its alleged inclusion in the national budget would raise serious concerns about the integrity of Nigeria’s budget preparation and approval process.
“The issue is no longer about personalities. It is about contradictions that demand answers,” he said.
Adeyemi questioned how an agency allegedly described as non-existent could have found its way into an appropriation document that had passed through the Presidency, the Budget Office, the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly before receiving presidential assent.
He also alleged that the agency maintained domiciliary, pound sterling and Treasury Single Account (TSA) accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria and questioned how such accounts could have been opened if the organisation lacked legal recognition.
The businessman further claimed that the alleged agency operated from office space within the Federal Secretariat and had received approvals for hundreds of staff members, arguing that such developments required independent verification.
In one of the most explosive aspects of his address, Adeyemi alleged that the disagreement between him and the Chief of Staff stemmed from an alleged demand by Gbajabiamila for 48 per cent of the agency’s take-off grant, claiming that part of the money had already been paid through intermediaries. He, however, did not present documentary evidence to substantiate the allegation during the press conference.
He also alleged attempts to portray him as a fraudster, claimed there had been efforts to criminalise his diplomatic engagements and called for investigations into what he described as attempts on his life as well as the death of one Babatunde Tanimola, whom he identified as an intermediary.
Adeyemi urged President Tinubu to constitute an independent investigative panel comprising representatives of civil society organisations and international bodies to examine budgetary records, institutional approvals, official correspondence and other documents relating to the controversy.
He further called on the Chief of Staff to step aside pending the outcome of such an investigation.
“If I am wrong, let an independent process prove it. If Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila is right, let it confirm it. Let the investigation speak. Let the documents speak. Let the truth emerge,” he declared.
The latest allegations come amid increasing public debate over the PFIPC controversy, with several groups and commentators calling for an independent investigation into claims relating to the agency’s reported appearance in government records and the 2026 budget, even as the Presidency insists the organisation is fictitious.
The Presidency has maintained that police investigations established that the PFIPC was a fictitious entity and alleged that Adeyemi forged appointment documents, falsely presented himself as a government appointee and operated multiple accounts linked to purported government organisations. The government has since filed an eight-count charge against him, while the case is pending before the Federal High Court.
As of the time of filing this report, the Office of the Chief of Staff had not issued any fresh response to the allegations made by Adeyemi at the press conference. However, Gbajabiamila had earlier denied any knowledge of the PFIPC or PEAC and maintained that no such agencies exist under the Tinubu administration.
