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The Presidency has dismissed allegations linking the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, to an alleged appointment-for-cash scandal, describing his accuser, Adeniyi Matthew, who claims to be Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council/Presidential Economic Advisory Council, as an impostor.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency said Matthew’s allegations were fabricated and described him as a serial fraudster already facing criminal charges.
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
Matthew had accused Gbajabiamila of demanding N27.4 billion from the take-off grant of a purported government agency and receiving N400 million through proxies to facilitate his appointment as director-general, while claiming an outstanding N200 million triggered disagreements and alleged attempts on his life.
He also called for an independent investigation, urging Gbajabiamila to step aside while the probe is conducted.
Rejecting the claims, the Presidency said security agencies had been investigating Matthew since October 2025 after the Office of the Chief of Staff petitioned the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force over the alleged forgery of official appointment letters and impersonation of government officials.
According to the statement, the petition warned that forged appointment letters purportedly issued from the Chief of Staff’s office posed a serious criminal threat and undermined the integrity of the Presidency.
“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 Chief of Staff stated in the petition.
“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 wrote in his petition to the security agencies.
The Presidency further said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs became concerned after Matthew allegedly convened a meeting with ambassadors in Abuja without the ministry’s knowledge, prompting inquiries from both the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation about the status of the agency he claimed to head.
Responding to those enquiries, Gbajabiamila reportedly stated that neither Matthew nor the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council was recognised by his office.
He also informed the authorities that the appointment letter being circulated was fake and said law enforcement agencies had been directed to investigate both the individual and the organisation.
Responding to the enquiries, Gbajabiamila denied appointing Matthew or recognising the agency.
“Prince Adeniyi Matthew, Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, is unknown to any office, nor do we have any dealings with the said council.
“My attention was drawn to a letter of this purported application, which is fake, and my office has instructed the police and other relevant security agencies to carry out investigations on the person and the entity he claims to represent,” the Chief of Staff wrote.
The Presidency said police investigations established that the agency was fictitious and that Matthew had allegedly forged his appointment letter and other official documents while presenting himself as a government appointee.
It added that searches conducted at his Abuja office and Suleja residence uncovered documents linking him to the alleged offences.
Investigators also reportedly discovered that Matthew operated 34 bank accounts, including nine allegedly opened in the names of fictitious agencies, and fraudulently secured a Central Bank of Nigeria account by misleading the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
The police, according to the statement, concluded that his actions amounted to forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence, bringing the Presidency and the Office of the Chief of Staff into disrepute.
“The act of the suspect constitutes criminal forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence, thereby bringing the office of the Chief of Staff to the President and the Presidency to disrepute before the public and international community,” the police report quoted in the statement read.
The Presidency said Matthew and two other suspects were arraigned before the High Court in Abuja in November 7 2025 on an eight-count charge, with the case scheduled to resume on July 27.
It added that Matthew’s recent allegations against the Chief of Staff were made while he was on police bail and were inconsistent with the statement he had earlier made to investigators.
The statement added that Gbajabiamila issued another disclaimer on June 8, reiterating that Matthew was an impostor.
“His new claim prompted the Chief of Staff, on June 8, to issue a disclaimer consistent with earlier advisories that the man, called Adeyemi, is an impostor,” the statement said.
The Presidency urged politicians and members of the public not to accept Matthew’s allegations as fact, stressing that the matter is already before the court and should be allowed to run its legal course.
“The case of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew is a clear case of a con artist who appears to have built a web of false claims to deceive unsuspecting government officials and the public into playing by his scam book. He has a history of fraudulent misrepresentation. In November 2016, he paraded himself as an ambassador and President-General of the World Youth Organisation (WYO), an affiliate of the United Nations (UN). He claimed to have been elected in New Delhi, India. The local media celebrated him until the UN denied the existence of such a body.
“Politicians and members of the public who are weaponising Adeyemi’s claim against the Chief of Staff should refrain from swallowing his narrative hook, line and sinker. They are advised to await the trial of Adeyemi and his accomplices, as well as the court’s judgement, as comments made today are sub judice,” the statement added.
