Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has called on the Federal Government to launch an independent investigation into the controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) and make the outcome public.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the controversy as “a full-blown crisis of institutional credibility” that could no longer be explained away through official statements.
He urged President Bola Tinubu to order a transparent and comprehensive investigation within seven days.
Questions Over Presidency’s Explanation
On Wednesday, the Presidency said Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claimed to be the convener of the disowned PFIPC, forged documents to present himself as a presidential appointee and head of the council.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in October 2025 after receiving complaints about the purported agency.
The police subsequently arrested Adeyemi, recovered what they described as forged documents, uncovered 34 bank accounts allegedly linked to him, and filed an eight-count charge against him and two others at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Reacting to the development, Atiku argued that the Presidency’s explanation left critical questions unanswered.
According to him, the central issue was no longer whether Adeyemi forged documents or impersonated government officials, but how an organisation described as non-existent was able to function within official government structures.
“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.
“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.”
Calls for Independent Investigation
The former vice-president said reports that the PFIPC appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act and allegedly received approval to recruit more than 300 personnel had heightened public concern.
“These developments cannot be dismissed as administrative oversights.
“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.”
Atiku also referenced Adeyemi’s recent denial of the allegations against him and his claims that influential figures were attempting to silence him, saying only an independent inquiry could establish the truth.
“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.
“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.”
He urged President Tinubu to order “a transparent, comprehensive and independent investigation” into the controversy and ensure that the findings are made public.
“Anything short of that will amount to complicity by silence,” he said.
