The House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the alleged establishment of the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) in the federal government’s budget framework has said it found no evidence linking Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, to the establishment or operations of the body.
The committee said preliminary findings indicated Gbajabiamila neither authorized, established nor participated in the activities of the purported Council.
Punch reports that the Chairman of the committee, Yusuf Gagdi, made this known on Wednesday while presenting the preliminary findings of the panel at a press briefing on the investigation.
The committee said Gbajabiamila was not involved in the activities of the group but took steps to alert security and investigative agencies when concerns about the purported body were brought to his attention.
The Chief of Staff was informed of the matter by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) following an alert on suspected fraudulent activities and alleged abuse of institutional materials, the panel said.
Gbajabiamila, it said responded within a day by contacting the relevant agencies which included the Nigeria Police Force, Office of the National Security Adviser, Department of State Services (DSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The committee also said that administrative verification through the relevant government institutions has been started as well.
The Chief of Staff also issued further communications seeking investigation and appropriate action in response to other concerns including those relating to a planned global investment summit, it said.
There is no documentary evidence before the Committee that the Chief of Staff authorized, approved, established or participated in the activities of the alleged organization.
There were ongoing efforts to get an investigation, institutional verification and proper administrative action, the committee said.
The committee has since said it “preliminarily commends” Gbajabiamila for the prompt security and administrative interventions he undertook when the matter was formally brought to his attention.
Second Appointment Letter
The panel also found that a letter purportedly appointing Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi as the organization’s Director-General was fake and falsely attributed to the Presidency.
The Committee also wanted to check the document which had the signature and authority of Gbajabiamila.
The lawmakers said evidence from the State House indicated that no such appointment was made or approved by the Presidency and that the letter was not issued or signed by Gbajabiamila.
“The letterhead used was not a real State House letterhead and the purported reference number did not comply with the official referencing system,” said the committee.
It also said the document was substantially different in its format, language and other administrative features to that used in official State House correspondence.
The committee therefore made an initial determination that the alleged appointment letter was a fake and had been falsely attributed to the Presidency.
Bogus National Assembly Act on Executive Order
The committee further noted that the documents presented as a Presidential Executive Order and an Act of the National Assembly for the establishment of the so-called organization were also proven to be fake.
It said the document allegedly titled Presidential Executive Order No. 5 dated February 24, 2026 was neither issued nor approved through the legal processes of the Presidency.
Similarly, the committee said that the so-called Act of the National Assembly that established the organization was never passed by both chambers of the National Assembly, was not assented to by the President and not gazetted as an Act of the Federation.
The panel also indicated that parts of an instrument relating to another institution appeared to have been electronically altered, mutilated or substituted to make it seem that the National Assembly had legislated to establish the organization.
No PFIPC creating law.
The committee said it could not find any valid Act of the National Assembly, gazetted enactment, Presidential Executive Order, administrative instrument or any other lawful authority creating any institution called the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
It stated that no competent authority of the Federal Government has produced any authentic record to show that the organization was created, approved or authorized by the President, the Federal Executive Council (FEC), the National Assembly, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation or any other legally empowered institution.
The lawmakers also said the alleged organization was known by several names, including the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC).
Alleged 400m Naira Deal
The committee also disclosed that it received a complaint from a company that Adeyemi tricked into making payment in four tranches totaling about ₦400m.
The payments were allegedly made by the company after it was promised a contract for the renovation, furnishing or improvement of a residence allegedly allocated to Adeyemi in his alleged capacity as Director-General of the organization.
The committee said it was tracking the destination of the funds, the account holders and the beneficial owners, and confirming the ownership and status of the property in question.
But the panel emphasized the need for further investigation of the allegations and said it was up to a court of competent jurisdiction to determine criminal guilt.
58 Bank Accounts Linked to Adeyemi
Preliminary financial information revealed that roughly 58 bank accounts were tied together by identifying data related to Adeyemi, the committee said.
More than 30 of the accounts were said to be run under the names of about nine agencies, companies, foundations or related entities.
The panel said Adeyemi may have been involved, directly or indirectly, in more than a dozen entities.
But it warned that the recognition of the accounts and entities did not mean all accounts, entities or transactions were illegal.
The committee said it will continue to work on reconciling the registration records, account mandates, beneficial ownership information and transaction histories to determine the nature and control of the entities and accounts.
Panel cites institutional lapses
The committee said that apart from the alleged activities surrounding the alleged PFIPC, its preliminary investigation revealed weaknesses in some government institutions.
Alleged failings included not checking that agencies were legally constituted, not authenticating official correspondence, not allocating government accommodation, not processing special number plates and not protecting official identities.
The committee said its final report would identify institutional and individual responsibilities and would recommend appropriate legislative, administrative, disciplinary, civil, financial and prosecutorial measures where necessary.
The lawmakers said the reports submitted were preliminary and should not be taken as the final report of the committee or the final position of the House of Representatives.