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The Senate has resolved to await the outcome of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) investigation before taking further action on the controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) and its inclusion in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
The decision followed a motion sponsored by Senator Suleiman Abdulrahman Kawu (Kano South), who called for an urgent investigation into the budgetary allocation, operations and controversy surrounding the purported council to protect the integrity of the Senate and the Nigerian Government.
Presenting the motion under Order 9, Rule 9(c) of the Senate Standing Orders 2026, Kawu described the matter as a serious institutional concern capable of undermining public confidence in the National Assembly and the budget process.
He noted that although senior Presidency officials had publicly described the PFIPC as fictitious and unauthorised, the entity was captured in the 2026 Appropriation Act under Budget Code 0111062001 with an allocation of ₦1.302 billion.
According to him, the allocation comprised ₦802.98 million for personnel costs, ₦200 million for overheads and ₦300 million for capital expenditure, raising questions about the integrity of the budget preparation and appropriation process.
Kawu warned that unless the circumstances surrounding the inclusion of the PFIPC in the national budget were thoroughly investigated, confidence in the legislature’s oversight responsibilities and the country’s budgeting process would continue to decline.
He also urged the Senate to condemn any administrative lapses, internal collaboration or fraudulent practices that may have enabled the alleged non-existent agency to receive budgetary allocation, while proposing that the Committees on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, as well as Appropriations, investigate the matter.
Responding, Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, advised against launching an immediate parliamentary investigation, noting that President Bola Tinubu had already directed the ICPC to conduct a comprehensive probe into the controversy.
Barau said the matter could have been brought as a substantive motion before the Senate Committee on Rules and Business, but maintained that the executive had already initiated the appropriate investigative process.
He said the Senate should await the outcome of the ICPC investigation before deciding on any legislative action.
The Senate subsequently adopted the proposal to defer its own investigation pending the submission of the anti-graft agency’s report.
President Tinubu had on Tuesday directed the ICPC to investigate the activities of the PFIPC and all issues connected to the alleged fictitious agency, ordering the commission to conclude its investigation and submit a detailed report within 30 days.
