RismadarVoice Reporters, July 4, 2026
Pressure has continued to mount on the Federal Government over the controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), as prominent individuals and opposition groups called for a comprehensive investigation into the agency’s alleged operations and its inclusion in the 2026 national budget.
Among those demanding an independent probe are human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) and other stakeholders.
Several of the groups also called on the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to step aside to allow an impartial investigation into allegations linking his office to the controversy.
The scandal erupted after the Presidency disowned Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who had presented himself as the Director-General of the PFIPC, insisting that the council was not a legally established government agency.
Despite the Presidency’s position, reports indicating that the council allegedly received a multi-billion-naira allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act have intensified public scrutiny.
Reacting to the development, Falana described the controversy as one that had exposed serious weaknesses within government institutions.
He questioned how an agency the Presidency claimed did not exist could allegedly secure office accommodation, open accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), recruit civil servants and appear in the national budget.
According to the senior advocate, the Federal Government and the National Assembly owe Nigerians a full explanation on how the agency reportedly passed through several official processes without being detected.
Falana also urged the government to constitute an independent investigative panel and advised Gbajabiamila to temporarily step aside to ensure a transparent probe.
Similarly, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar called on President Bola Tinubu to order a comprehensive and independent investigation into the matter.
Speaking through his media aide, Atiku argued that the allegations had gone beyond questions of forgery and now raised serious concerns about accountability and institutional credibility.
He maintained that if the agency indeed operated within government institutions, interacted with public officials and appeared in official records, Nigerians deserved to know how such activities occurred without the knowledge or involvement of relevant authorities.
The ADC also demanded a judicial panel of inquiry, identifying several government institutions and officials it believes should be investigated.
The opposition party said the probe should cover the Office of the Chief of Staff, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Budget Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Central Bank of Nigeria and relevant committees of the National Assembly.
According to the ADC, only a transparent public inquiry can establish whether the PFIPC was genuinely fictitious or whether systemic failures enabled its operations.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) also expressed concern over reports that the agency allegedly opened bank accounts, secured recruitment approvals and processed official transactions despite the Presidency’s denial of its existence.
The party argued that the allegations raise fundamental questions about transparency, governance and oversight within public institutions.
The NDC called for the immediate removal of the Chief of Staff pending investigation and urged anti-corruption agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Nigeria Police Force, to conduct a thorough investigation without political interference.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that three civil servants deployed from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to the PFIPC have provided statements to investigators.
According to the officials, they resumed duties at the agency in September 2025 after receiving official deployment letters but were never assigned any meaningful responsibilities.
The officials reportedly told investigators that they had no prior knowledge of the agency before their postings and spent months reporting to work without receiving formal assignments.
Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, also called for a forensic investigation into the death of Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, described as a key intermediary in the alleged appointment and bribery scandal.
Frank said the circumstances surrounding Tanimola’s death should be thoroughly investigated, arguing that the deceased could have provided crucial information about the alleged activities surrounding the PFIPC.
The Presidency has maintained that the PFIPC was never a recognised government agency and has insisted that Adeyemi acted fraudulently by presenting forged documents and impersonating a public official.
Investigations into the matter are ongoing.
