A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by former Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Kabiru Turaki, has urged the federal government to order a forensic investigation into the controversy surrounding the alleged non-existence of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
The faction, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, also called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately suspend government officials linked to the scandal, particularly his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
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Mr Ememobong further urged the President to reorganise the Presidency and issue an unreserved apology to Nigerians, stating that the controversy had embarrassed the country.
“We therefore call on the President, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to immediately order a forensic investigation of this scandal by a reputable firm of international standing, announce the suspension of all key officials connected to the matter, order a comprehensive reorganisation of the Presidency, and issue an unreserved apology to Nigerians for this deeply embarrassing situation,” he said.
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The controversy has generated widespread criticism after Adeniyi Adeyemi was declared wanted for allegedly presenting himself as the Director-General of an agency the Presidency insists does not exist.
The Presidency accused Mr Adeyemi of forging government appointment letters and other official documents to falsely present himself as Director-General of the PFIPC and the Presidential Executive Advisory Council (PEAC), both of which it said are non-existent.
In a statement issued last Wednesday, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said the police had arraigned Mr Adeyemi and two others before the Federal High Court on eight counts. He added that the case, filed on 27 November 2025, is scheduled for a hearing on 27 July.
Mr Onanuga said concerns about the fake agency first surfaced after officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) complained that another body appeared to be performing functions similar to theirs.
He said Mr Gbajabiamila petitioned the State Security Service (SSS, also called DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force on 17 October 2025, requesting an investigation into Mr Adeyemi and his associates.
In the petition, the Chief of Staff alleged that appointment letters purportedly issued from his office to the individuals bore falsified signatures, seals and reference numbers, which were used to claim appointments into non-existent government entities.
However, Mr Adeyemi, who has since gone into hiding, told PREMIUM TIMES earlier on Thursday that he did not forge any appointment letters. He alleged that the government’s claims were a defensive move to silence him. He also maintained that the agency was established in 2024 and said his life was in danger.
‘Tinubu administration porous and vulnerable’
Mr Ememobong argued that if an independent investigation confirms the Presidency’s account that Mr Adeyemi acted alone, it would expose serious institutional weaknesses that allowed an impostor to operate unchecked.
He said, however, that if Mr Adeyemi’s claims that senior government officials facilitated his activities prove to be true, it would point to deep-rooted corruption within the Presidency.
“The two possible outcomes of this scandal are very damning. If the Presidency’s account is correct, that Prince Matthew (Adeyemi) is an impostor, then it means the federal government is so porous and vulnerable – an admission that the country has been brazenly defrauded because institutional gatekeepers entrusted with protecting our collective patrimony are either grossly incompetent or thoroughly distracted from the responsibilities of governance.
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“If, on the other hand, Prince Matthew’s account is accurate, that the Chief of Staff solicited and actually received bribes to facilitate his appointment, then this is yet another act of shameless corruption added to a long and growing queue of unchallenged corrupt officials in this administration. Anyway, this pendulum swings, the Nigerian people lose,” he said.
The PDP faction maintained that officials implicated in the controversy should be suspended to allow for an independent investigation and prevent interference with the process.
“Any responsible government confronted with this scale of institutional breakdown would immediately commission an independent forensic investigation, suspend the key officials implicated, implement systemic reforms to prevent a recurrence, issue an unreserved public apology, and consider the resignation of those found culpable.
“Instead, the APC-led Federal Government appears to be pursuing a covert internal review, dismissing legitimate public concerns by talking down to the citizens, and hoping that the passage of time will erase the anomaly from public memory,” the statement said.
