Trending 
Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has called on the Nigerian Government to launch an independent investigation into the controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), insisting the findings should be made public.
In a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the controversy as a crisis of institutional credibility and gave President Bola Tinubu seven days to order what he called a transparent and comprehensive probe.
The demand follows the Presidency’s claim on Wednesday that Adeniyi Adeyemi, who presented himself as Director-General of the PFIPC, forged official documents and falsely portrayed himself as a presidential appointee.
The Presidency, through the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in October 2025 after complaints emerged about the agency.
Police subsequently arrested Adeyemi, recovered what they described as forged documents, traced 34 bank accounts linked to him, and charged him, alongside two others, before the High Court in Abuja on eight counts.
However, Atiku argued that the official explanation failed to address critical issues surrounding the case.
He said the real concern was not simply whether Adeyemi forged documents or impersonated government officials, but how an organisation the Presidency now described as fictitious could operate within government structures.
According to him, it was difficult to reconcile claims that a single individual could establish a non-existent government agency, obtain office space within a government facility, engage foreign diplomatic missions, interact with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), process staff salaries through official channels, operate institutional bank accounts and carry out other activities without the knowledge, negligence or involvement of public officials.
“If the government wants Nigerians to believe that one man single-handedly created an office for himself, secured office space within a government facility, held meetings with foreign embassy delegations, paid courtesy visits to the EFCC, processed staff salaries through official channels, allegedly operated institutional accounts, and carried on all these activities without the knowledge, approval, negligence or collaboration of anyone within government, then that narrative raises even more troubling questions than it answers,” Atiku said.
“At this point, the story looks less like a clean explanation and more like an attempt to isolate one man after an internal arrangement went sour.”
He argued that the Presidency’s account appeared to raise more questions than it answered and suggested it resembled an attempt to isolate one individual after internal arrangements had broken down.
Atiku also referred to reports that the PFIPC appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act and allegedly obtained approval to recruit more than 300 personnel, saying such developments could not be dismissed as mere administrative mistakes.
He noted that budget preparation involves multiple government institutions, including ministries, departments, agencies, the Budget Office, the National Assembly and the President, while recruitment into the Federal Civil Service follows established approval procedures.
“These developments cannot be dismissed as administrative oversights,” he said.
“Budget preparation is a structured process involving ministries, departments, agencies, the Budget Office, the National Assembly and ultimately presidential assent.
“Recruitment into the Federal Civil Service is also governed by manpower planning, establishment approvals, financial implications, grade-level classifications and institutional clearances.
“At some point, we must separate an individual’s alleged conduct from the institutional systems that either enabled it or failed to detect it,” he added.
He said the investigation should focus not only on Adeyemi’s alleged actions but also on the institutional failures or official involvement that may have enabled the situation.
The former vice-president further noted that Adeyemi had denied the allegations against him and claimed influential individuals were attempting to silence him, saying those assertions strengthened the case for an independent inquiry.
He said the truth should be established through a transparent investigation that examines all relevant documents, traces approvals and identifies any public officials who may have acted improperly or failed in their responsibilities.
“Whether his claims are true or false is not for the Presidency to determine through press statements. That is precisely why Nigeria needs an independent investigation,” he said.
“Let the facts speak. Let every document be examined. Let every approval be traced. Let every official who acted, neglected a duty, or enabled this scandal be identified and held accountable.”
Atiku warned that anything short of a thorough and independent investigation, with the findings released to the public, would amount to official complicity through silence.
