. Presidency warns against weaponizing allegation
. “I’m ready to defend myself in court” __Prince Adeyemi
A fresh political storm has erupted around the alleged operation of a fictitious federal agency after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar demanded an independent investigation into claims linking the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, to the establishment of the discredited Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).
While the Presidency dismissed the fake agency crisis as part of an elaborate fraud scheme, the principal suspect, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who functioned as the Director General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), insists he was lawfully appointed and was prepared to defend his claims in court.
The controversy has thrown up competing narratives over how an organisation described by the government as non-existent allegedly operated from the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, interacted with senior officials, and purportedly secured official recognition.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for an independent and transparent investigation into allegations surrounding the purported PFIPC and claims linking the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, to the fraudulent scheme.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the Atiku Media Office, the former Vice President argued that allegations of fraud and corruption involving government institutions should not be treated as internal administrative matters but should instead be subjected to an open and independent investigation capable of restoring public confidence.
The statement followed a detailed rebuttal issued by the Presidency through the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who described Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew and the purported agency as fraudulent and fictitious.
However, in a defiant response during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Adeyemi maintained that the agency he headed was legitimately established by the government and vowed to clear his name through the courts.
“If I’m wrong, let the court of law do the right thing, and if I’m right, let the court of law do the right thing,” Adeyemi said during the interview. “Since the matter is in the court, let the competent court of jurisdiction vindicate me because I’m ready to clear my name.”
Adeyemi, who is being prosecuted over allegations of operating a ghost agency with more than 300 personnel reportedly based at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja between 2024 and 2025, insisted that he was officially appointed as the pioneer Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.
Asked directly whether he was appointed to the position, Adeyemi answered in the affirmative, stressing that he was not a criminal and was prepared to face judicial scrutiny to establish his innocence.
The controversy intensified after Adeyemi alleged that Gbajabiamila received N400 million through a proxy and subsequently demanded an additional N200 million to facilitate his appointment. The Presidency has categorically denied the allegation, maintaining that the Chief of Staff neither issues appointments nor signs appointment letters on behalf of the President.
In its call for an independent probe, the Atiku Media Office questioned how an agency now described as fictitious was allegedly able to maintain offices within the Federal Secretariat, engage senior government officials and reportedly obtain a budgetary allocation in the proposed 2026 national budget if it lacked official recognition.
The statement urged investigators to establish how the organisation allegedly interacted with public institutions and government officials and called for a forensic investigation involving all officials named in connection with the controversy, including the Chief of Staff.
The former Vice President’s media office further argued that the Presidency’s response had not specifically addressed Adeyemi’s allegation that he paid N400 million to Gbajabiamila through an intermediary. No evidence was provided by the Atiku Media Office to substantiate the allegation, and Gbajabiamila has not publicly responded to the specific bribery claim.
The statement also referenced the death of Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, identified as an alleged intermediary in the affair, arguing that the circumstances surrounding his death further underscored the need for a comprehensive investigation.
According to the Atiku Media Office, a transparent judicial inquiry before the 2027 general elections would help restore confidence in public institutions and reinforce accountability within government.
The Presidency, however, has maintained that the PFIPC was never an authorised agency of the federal government and that Adeyemi is facing criminal prosecution over a series of alleged offences linked to forgery, impersonation and fraud.
In a statement titled “Re: The Matter of Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew and the Fictitious Presidential Economic Advisory Council,” Onanuga outlined what he described as the findings of police investigations into Adeyemi’s activities and warned politicians against exploiting the matter to attack the Chief of Staff.
According to the Presidency, Adeyemi, who allegedly presented himself as Director-General of the non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, was arrested by police operatives on October 27, 2025, at his office within the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja after Gbajabiamila petitioned both the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force on October 17, 2025.
The Presidency stated that the Nigeria Police subsequently filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi and two alleged accomplices, identified as Femi and Anu, who remain at large, before the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 27, 2025, under charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/2025.
The defendants are accused of conspiracy to commit forgery, forging presidential appointment documents, falsifying official State House letterheads, forging requests for office accommodation and collaboration with ministries, impersonating public officials and creating additional documents intended to confer legitimacy on the purported agency.
One of the charges alleges that Adeyemi forged an appointment letter purportedly issued by President Bola Tinubu and signed by Gbajabiamila, while another accuses him of falsely presenting himself as Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.
The Presidency further stated that Adeyemi had been granted police bail before resurfacing with fresh claims that Gbajabiamila personally appointed him to lead the agency, an assertion it said contradicted his earlier statement to investigators made in November 2024.
According to the Presidency, the controversy first came to official attention after concerns were raised by officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, who observed that another body appeared to be operating parallel functions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly also became alarmed after Adeyemi hosted ambassadors at the Wells Carlton Hotel and Apartments in Abuja’s Asokoro district on October 10, 2025, without notifying or engaging the ministry.
In a letter dated October 15, 2025, signed by Anderson Madubuike, the ministry sought clarification from the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Office of the Chief of Staff, stating that the action violated established diplomatic protocols.
The Presidency disclosed that the Office of the National Security Adviser subsequently contacted the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, which in turn sought clarification from the Chief of Staff’s office.
According to the Presidency, Gbajabiamila had already denied issuing any appointment letter before those requests were received and later petitioned security agencies over what he described as an extensive forgery and impersonation operation.
“The attention of this office has been drawn to the activities of certain individuals and groups engaged in the forgery of official appointment letters purportedly issued from my office,” Gbajabiamila reportedly stated in his petition.
He further alleged that the suspects had been presenting themselves as a legitimate government agency, hosting meetings involving both Nigerian and foreign nationals and seeking diplomatic assistance to facilitate travel documentation for purported staff members.
Police investigations, according to the Presidency, revealed that Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, including nine accounts opened in the names of allegedly fictitious government agencies.
Investigators also alleged that he fraudulently secured a Central Bank of Nigeria account by presenting forged government documents to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation. The Presidency maintained that no government funds were transferred into the account.
However, police investigators reportedly described the action as a deliberate attempt to infiltrate official financial systems for potential financial crimes and recommended that all identified accounts be frozen pending prosecution.
Searches conducted at Adeyemi’s office at the Federal Secretariat and his residence in Suleja, Niger State, allegedly led to the recovery of forged appointment letters, official letterheads, government correspondence and other incriminating materials.
Investigators further claimed that Adeyemi sought diplomatic support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate visas for purported staff members and that three officials from the Office of the Accountant-General who had been posted to the organisation performed no official functions during their deployment.
The Presidency also disclosed that during police interrogation, Adeyemi identified one Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola as the individual who assisted him in obtaining the allegedly forged appointment letter. Police later established that Tanimola had died in a fire incident at Kachi Hotel in Abuja on October 22, 2025, five days before Adeyemi’s arrest.
According to the Presidency, investigators verified Tanimola’s death through family members, hospital records and church burial records.
The Presidency further alleged that Adeyemi had previously claimed in 2016 to be an ambassador and president-general of the World Youth Organisation, which he described as a United Nations-affiliated body, before the United Nations publicly denied the existence of such an organisation.
Quoting the police investigation report, the Presidency stated that Adeyemi’s actions constituted criminal forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence and had damaged the reputation of the Presidency and the Office of the Chief of Staff both domestically and internationally.
Onanuga urged politicians and members of the public to refrain from drawing conclusions before the conclusion of the trial, stating that they should await the judicial determination of the charges against Adeyemi and his alleged accomplices.
The case is scheduled to come up before the Federal High Court on July 27, 2026. No court has found any of the individuals mentioned in the controversy guilty of the allegations against them.
For a better society
Follow us across our platforms:
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/championnewsonline/
Facebook – https://web.facebook.com/championnewsonline
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/champion-newspapers-limited/
https://x.com/championnewsng/
You can also like and comment on our YouTube videos.
https://youtu.be/QIBfD1tT80w?si=R4Qf3so2LxYu3GC2
