The opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) has dismissed President Bola Tinubu’s decision to hand the investigation into the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), insisting that only an independent judicial panel can conduct a credible inquiry.
The party, in a statement issued on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said although it welcomed the President’s directive ordering an investigation into the scandal, entrusting the exercise to an agency under the Executive arm of government would not inspire public confidence.
“We insist, however, that only an independent judicial panel will be able to provide answers beyond all reasonable doubt to the many questions that this historic scandal has thrown up,” the statement said.
The PFIPC controversy erupted after the council appeared as a beneficiary in the 2026 Appropriation Act despite repeated assurances by the Presidency that no such government agency exists.
The crisis deepened when Mathew Adeniyi Adeyemi, who identified himself as Director-General of the council, accused the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, of involvement in alleged financial impropriety linked to the agency.
The Presidency subsequently disowned Adeyemi, describing him as a fraud currently facing prosecution, a claim he has consistently disputed while insisting he possesses documents backing his position.
Responding to the growing public outcry, President Tinubu on Tuesday directed the ICPC to investigate how the non-existent council found its way into the 2026 budget. The President also instructed the anti-graft agency to identify and prosecute anyone found responsible for the alleged budget insertion and submit its report within 30 days.
However, the ADC argued that the Presidency, being central to the controversy, could not credibly supervise the investigation.
“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,” the party stated.
The opposition also faulted what it described as attempts by government officials to prejudge the outcome of the investigation by declaring appointment letters and other documents associated with the council as forged before investigators had concluded their work.
“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 credibility of the entire exercise depends on allowing investigators to follow the evidence wherever it leads, rather than predetermining the outcome through official pronouncements,” the statement added.
The ADC further urged President Tinubu to direct his Chief of Staff to step aside while investigations are ongoing if officials within the Presidency are to be examined.
“As long as he remains an active official of government, it creates the impression that the President is deliberately shielding a key party in this matter,” the party said.
It also demanded that the full report of the investigation be made public, insisting that announcing only selected findings or punishing a few officials would not satisfy public expectations for accountability.
The party equally condemned the reported arrest of Adeyemi’s father, describing the action as intimidation.
“The ADC condemns the reported arrest of the father of Mr. Adeyemi Adeniyi. This act of intimidation only strengthens the impression that the government is panicking and is desperate to hide the truth rather than uncover it.
“If indeed a crime has been committed, only the suspect can be legally arrested. It is an established fact that Nigerian law does not have provision for vicarious liability,” the statement said.
The party maintained that it would continue to monitor developments, describing the PFIPC controversy as a matter of national importance that must not be swept aside.
Adeyemi denies meeting Gbajabiamila
Meanwhile, Adeyemi has denied ever meeting Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila in person, saying he could neither confirm nor deny whether the presidential aide was involved in the controversy.
Speaking during an interview with social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), Adeyemi said all his alleged interactions with Gbajabiamila were through his late associate, Dolapo Tanimola.
Asked whether he had ever met the Chief of Staff privately to discuss the matter, Adeyemi replied, “No.”
He, however, claimed he spoke with someone he believed to be Gbajabiamila on the telephone on about three occasions through his late friend.
When asked how he was certain he had been speaking with the Chief of Staff since the conversations were not conducted via video calls, Adeyemi admitted he could not be sure.
Questioned on whether it was possible that Gbajabiamila neither knew about the transactions nor participated in them, he responded: “Of course! Yes.”
Pressed further on whether the Chief of Staff was lying or telling the truth, Adeyemi said, “I wouldn’t say he is lying and I wouldn’t say he is saying the truth.”
He added that this uncertainty informed his earlier appeal to President Tinubu to institute an independent investigation into the matter.
Adeyemi is currently facing trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja over his alleged involvement in operating the PFIPC, which the Presidency insists is a fictitious organisation. The matter has been adjourned until July 14.
At a press conference last month, Adeyemi alleged that Gbajabiamila demanded 48 per cent of the council’s purported N27.4 billion take-off grant, amounting to about N12.5 billion, and also collected N400 million linked to appointments within the agency.
Gbajabiamila, through his lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), denied the allegations, insisting he had never met or communicated with Adeyemi directly or through any intermediary. The Chief of Staff has also threatened a N10 billion defamation suit over the claims.
During the interview, Adeyemi said he intended to surrender himself to either the Nigeria Police Force or the Department of State Services after speaking with VDM, although it was not immediately clear whether he had done so.