The Senate is expected to take up the growing controversy over the N1.3 billion allocation to the disputed Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) when lawmakers return from recess on Tuesday.
Fresh findings indicate that the agency’s rise was made possible by a forged appointment letter allegedly carrying the fake signature of the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The document reportedly passed through the Federal Civil Service without proper verification, allowing Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew to secure office space at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja and operate as though the council was an official government institution for more than a year.
Senior Presidency and civil service officials familiar with the matter told The PUNCH that several government institutions failed to detect the fraud early enough.
They said weaknesses in the Budget Office, the National Assembly and the Civil Service Headquarters allowed the council to gain credibility and eventually receive a budget allocation.
According to the sources, the PFIPC never appeared before the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service to defend the N1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 budget.
A National Assembly source claimed the provision was inserted through what he described as a “backdoor process.”
“It was included with other Presidency-related budget items, so there was no separate defence or detailed scrutiny. The Senate leadership is expected to address the matter on Tuesday,” the source said.
Presidency officials explained that the alleged appointment letter violated established procedures for appointing heads of government agencies.
Under existing practice, appointments for agencies under the Presidency are approved by the President, processed through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), and communicated officially. The Chief of Staff has no constitutional authority to issue such appointments.
One official said the forged letter became the foundation of the entire operation.
“The signature wasn’t Gbajabiamila’s. Once the fake appointment letter was accepted and office space was allocated, everything else followed. Having an office inside the Federal Secretariat gave the council an appearance of legitimacy,” the source said.
Officials added that after obtaining the office, the council operated with official-looking documents, a website and letterheads, making it easier to interact with ministries, diplomatic missions and private organisations without raising suspicion.
The alleged fraud first came to light after officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) questioned the council’s activities, saying they overlapped with the commission’s statutory responsibilities.
According to another Presidency source, the matter was reported to the Chief of Staff, who immediately denied any knowledge of the agency or its promoter and alerted the Department of State Services.
“The Chief of Staff insisted he had never met the man and pushed for an investigation. That eventually led to Adeyemi’s arrest and arraignment,” the source said.
Investigators also believe the council may have secured its budget allocation through contacts within the National Assembly, despite not undergoing the normal budget defence process.
Meanwhile, the controversy has sparked widespread reactions.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has demanded that the Senate and House of Representatives release all documents relating to the budget approval.
The organisation also wants lawmakers to identify those who defended the allocation and explain whether the provision originated from the executive or was inserted during legislative review.
The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) also called for a public investigation, saying Nigerians deserve to know how a council the Presidency claims does not exist ended up receiving funds in the national budget.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar described the scandal as another sign of deepening governance failures.
He said the Presidency still owes Nigerians answers about who created the agency, who approved its operations and how it found its way into the budget.
“The Presidency still has time to explain who created this phantom organisation and who should be held responsible. Silence is not an acceptable response,” Atiku said.
The Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party said the scandal exposed serious weaknesses in government institutions, while the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights called for an independent investigation into the allegations.
The Kwankwasiyya Movement also demanded full disclosure of how the allocation was processed, asking whether any public funds had already been released to the council.
However, House of Representatives Deputy Spokesman Philip Agbese urged the public to allow the legal process to run its course, saying the courts would determine the facts.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Bankole Akomolafe, cautioned against rushing to implicate the Chief of Staff without evidence, noting that criminal prosecution must be based on verifiable facts rather than allegations.
Another senior lawyer, Sampson Erugo, argued that investigators should widen the probe beyond Adeyemi to include all officials who may have played roles in establishing the council and facilitating its operations.
Adeyemi is scheduled to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 27, 2026, alongside two other suspects, identified only as Femi and Anu, who are currently at large.
