The controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has intensified, with Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims to have been appointed Director-General of the council, declaring his readiness to submit himself and relevant documents to security agencies to assist ongoing investigations.
The development comes as President Bola Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the activities of the purported agency and submit its findings within 30 days.
The Presidency has consistently maintained that the PFIPC does not exist and was never established by the Federal Government.
In a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency said the directive followed the discovery of what it described as a fictitious agency operating without any legal backing.
According to the statement, the investigation will cover the alleged forgery of appointment letters and official government documents, the use of a purported presidential appointment to obtain official recognition and diplomatic support, including visa facilitation, and the opening of multiple bank accounts in the names of alleged government agencies.
The ICPC has also been directed to investigate the movement of funds linked to the alleged scheme, identify individuals or institutions that may have facilitated it, and recommend measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
The Presidency further instructed all federal ministries, departments and agencies to cooperate fully with the anti-corruption agency by providing relevant information and documents required for the investigation.
According to the statement, President Tinubu emphasised that the integrity of the Presidency and public institutions must be protected against impersonation, forgery and abuse of official identity, adding that anyone found culpable should face the full weight of the law.
Speaking during a video conversation with social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, Adeyemi said he was prepared to report to either the Department of State Services (DSS) or the Nigeria Police Force with all documents in his possession.
He said investigators should authenticate the documents to determine how the agency emerged and identify those responsible.
“I am willing and ready to help security agencies or any panel set up by Mr President to unravel the truth. Any moment from now, I will go to the DSS or the police to submit all the documents I have. They should authenticate them and verify them so the truth can come out,” Adeyemi said.
Adeyemi also questioned how the alleged agency appeared in the national budget despite the Presidency’s insistence that it never existed.
According to him, he was in police detention during the period the budget was being prepared and therefore could not have participated in any budget defence process before the National Assembly.
He alleged that he honoured a police invitation on October 27 following a petition reportedly submitted by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, regarding the activities of the PFIPC.
Adeyemi claimed he remained in detention for 23 days before being released on November 19 and was subsequently arraigned before a court on November 27.
He further alleged that the office allocated to the council had been reassigned to another government official by the time he regained his freedom.
Expressing confusion over the budget controversy, Adeyemi questioned how a purportedly non-existent agency could have been included in the Appropriation Act without attracting scrutiny from lawmakers or other government institutions.
“How did the agency find its way into the national budget? Neither I nor anybody else defended the budget before the National Assembly. I was in detention throughout that period,” he said.
He added that the circumstances surrounding the inclusion of the PFIPC in the budget prompted him to publicly challenge the Presidency’s disclaimer.
The controversy centres on conflicting claims by the Presidency and Adeyemi over the existence of the PFIPC.
The Presidency has maintained that no such agency exists under the Tinubu administration and has described Adeyemi as an impostor who falsely presented himself as a presidential appointee.
In an earlier disclaimer, Gbajabiamila warned diplomatic missions, financial institutions, development partners and the general public against dealing with Adeyemi, insisting that neither the council nor the office of its Director-General had ever been established by the Federal Government.
Adeyemi is currently standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges bordering on conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
The Federal Government has listed Gbajabiamila and 10 other witnesses to testify in the case.
The ICPC investigation is expected to determine the authenticity of the documents presented by Adeyemi, establish how the alleged agency operated and clarify the circumstances surrounding its reported inclusion in the national budget.