By Oluwakemi Kindness
Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has given President Bola Tinubu seven days to order an independent investigation into the controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
Atiku said the Presidency must launch a transparent investigation to determine how the alleged agency reportedly operated within government institutions despite claims that it does not officially exist.
He warned that failure to act would reinforce public suspicion that powerful figures may have enabled the alleged fraud.
In a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku questions how the purported agency allegedly secured office space in a government facility, engaged foreign embassies, processed salaries and maintained official accounts if it lacked legal recognition.
“The President must order a comprehensive, independent investigation immediately. Anything short of that will amount to complicity by silence,” Atiku said.
The former vice president argued that the investigation should extend beyond the alleged Director-General of the PFIPC, Adeniyi Adeyemi, to determine whether any government officials or institutions facilitated the agency’s operations.
He also cited reports that the PFIPC appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act with a multi-billion-naira allocation and allegedly received approval to recruit more than 300 personnel, saying such actions would have required multiple layers of official approval.
The controversy escalated after the Presidency described the PFIPC as a non-existent federal agency and labelled Adeyemi an impostor facing trial on charges including conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
Adeyemi has denied the allegations, insisting he was lawfully appointed and possesses documents supporting his claim.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has called for the removal of the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, over allegations linking him to the controversy.
The party also demanded an independent investigation into the alleged agency’s budget allocations, financial accounts, staffing approvals and other claims, while urging anti-graft agencies to investigate all those implicated.
