Accused Forger Says Presidency Trying to Silence Him

A man accused of forging government appointment letters and parading himself as Director-General of non-existent presidential agencies has spoken from hiding, insisting the presidency is only trying to silence him.

Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claimed to head the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), agencies the presidency says do not exist, spoke to Premium Times on Thursday.

“You know the government we have. They are just playing a defence mechanism to shut me up. My organisation was set up in 2024,” Adeyemi said.

When asked to meet in person, Adeyemi said he was not in Abuja. He declined to share his appointment letter or any documentary evidence, and said his lawyers had advised him against speaking to journalists.

“I just decided to speak to you out of respect. My lawyers are working on something. Whatever they say, I will let you know,” he said.

Adeyemi claimed his life was under threat, forcing him to go underground.

“They are now after my life. I have gone into hiding. I’m underground,” he said.

When pressed on his whereabouts, he declined to disclose them. “I will not be able to disclose any information now. I don’t consider myself safe,” he said.

Adeyemi also insisted that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, was aware of his appointment, and he spoke for the first time on television since his arrest.

Adeyemi, who is facing allegations of impersonation and related offences, spoke on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Thursday through a telephone interview. He denied any wrongdoing and expressed confidence that he would be vindicated in court.

Asked whether Gbajabiamila had knowledge of his appointment, Adeyemi said: “Yes.”

On whether he got confirmation of the appointment through Gbajabiamila’s office, he said: “Yes, let the court vindicate all those things.”

Asked whether he was running away from the law, Adeyemi said: “Not at all.”

Asked whether he was ready to face the law, he said: “Definitely, if I am wrong, let the court of law do that; if I am right, let the court of law do the right thing.”

“Since the matter is in the court, let the court of competent jurisdiction vindicate me because I am ready to clear my name. Let the court take its course,” he said.

He said he had a letter of appointment but declined to share details because the matter was before the court. He also said he was on medication and “a bit down.”

Asked whether he is a criminal, Adeyemi said: “No, I am not a criminal. However, the court will do justice to that.”

Adeyemi urged Nigerians to consider the plausibility of his claims, saying he could not have operated for nearly three years if his agency did not exist.

“I want Nigerians to know that, for one second, let us assume the agency does not exist, would I have the temerity, the audacity, to be going all over the country, meeting the head of ministry, department and agency, if I know that the agency does not exist, or as they allege me that I cooked up everything? No Nigerian can dare do that. I could not have summoned the courage to be going from one place to another for almost three years. Nigeria is not a banana republic.”

The presidency has accused Adeyemi of forging government appointment letters and falsely presenting himself as the Director-General of agencies that do not exist.

In a statement on Wednesday, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said police had charged Adeyemi and two others with eight counts at the Federal High Court. The case, filed on 27 November 2025, is scheduled for hearing on 27 July.

Onanuga said concerns first surfaced after officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission complained that another body appeared to be performing functions similar to theirs.

Gbajabiamila, petitioned the State Security Service and the Nigeria Police Force on 17 October 2025, requesting an investigation.

Gbajabiamila alleged that appointment letters purportedly issued from his office bore falsified signatures, seals and reference numbers, which were used to claim appointments into non-existent government entities.

“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. The fake documents, bearing falsified signatures, reference/folio numbers, and seals, have been used to claim leadership appointments to non-existent entities, with particular reference to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.

“The aforementioned entity under the leadership of one Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew as Director-General is said to have an office at the Federal Secretariat Complex Phase 111, 2nd Floor. Also, they have been parading themselves as a legitimate government agency, hosting meetings with both foreigners and Nigerian citizens, and even going so far as to request a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the United States of America to facilitate visas for some of their staff.

“The above development not only constitutes a serious criminal act but also undermines the integrity of the presidency and the credibility of official government communication.

“I therefore urge you to initiate a thorough investigation to identify and apprehend those involved and also to uncover the network facilitating the forgery,” the Chief of Staff was quoted as saying.

STATEHOUSE STATEMENT

Re: The Matter of Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew and the fictitious Presidential Economic Advisory Council

We are aware of the public interest in the matter of a man called Adeyemi Adeniyi Matthew, who has been parading himself as the director-general of a… pic.twitter.com/TFD9Im2h2Q

— Bayo Onanuga, OON, CON (@aonanuga1956) July 1, 2026