PFIPC saga: Controversy deepens as FG files charges against Adeyemi

‘I’m not a con artiste,’ Adeyemi replies presidency, seeks independent probe panel to examine allegations

Emeka Agu Jnr with agency reports

The controversy surrounding the existence of a Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) deepened on Thursday with Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-styled director-general of the agency, raising allegations against the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, while the Presidency has maintained that the agency does not exist and described Adeyemi as an impostor facing criminal prosecution

Adeyemi also denied allegations that he is a fraudster, saying the court should determine the controversy surrounding the disputed agency.

Speaking on Thursday during an appearance on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, Adeyemi said he is not a con artiste, contrary to how the presidency has portrayed him.

“I’m not a con artiste. Let the court decide on the matter,” he said.

The presidency had accused Adeyemi of forging documents, including an appointment letter, to present himself as the head of a non-existent government agency.

Questioning the presidency’s position, Adeyemi said he could not have operated openly if the agency was entirely fictitious.

“Let’s assume the agency does not exist. Would I have the temerity to be going all over the country meeting the heads of agencies and departments if they know that the agency does not exist or, as alleged, that I cooked everything?” he asked.

He said his engagements with senior government officials, ambassadors and other stakeholders support his claim that the agency exists.

The presidency, however, has maintained that the PFIPC has no legal basis and was never established by any executive instrument.

Responding to claims that the position was a political reward, Adeyemi said he is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo state but dismissed suggestions that his appointment was tied to political patronage.

“I’m a member of APC from Oyo State. I wouldn’t say the position is a reward,” he said.

Adeyemi accused Gbajabiamila of making contradictory statements regarding the existence of the PFIPC and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), and called for an independent investigation into the two bodies.

He further argued that if the PFIPC did not exist, as stated in the Presidency’s June 11 disclaimer, the government should explain why references to the PFIPC and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council allegedly appeared on pages 50 and 51 of the 2026 Appropriation Act.

Adeyemi appealed to President Bola Tinubu to establish an independent investigative panel to examine the allegations.

He urged the panel to investigate the disputed agencies, review relevant official documents and budgetary references, examine what he described as assassination attempts against him, question public officials connected to the matter, publish its findings transparently and require the Chief of Staff to step aside while investigations are ongoing.

The Presidency, however, firmly rejected Adeyemi’s claims.

In the disclaimer dated June 11, signed by Gbajabiamila, the Presidency notified the public, diplomatic missions, financial institutions and multilateral organisations that no such agency exists under the Tinubu administration.

“It has come to the notice of the Federal Government of Nigeria and specifically the Office of the Chief of Staff to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, that a certain Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, under the auspices of an alleged organisation styled as the ‘Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council’ is portraying himself to the general public as having been appointed by my office.

“The unsuspecting public is hereby advised to note that such an office does not exist under this administration and no appointment has been made in that regard.

“Foreign and Diplomatic Missions, Financial and Multilateral Institutions, Development Organisations, Security Agencies and so on are hereby advised to note the contents of this Notice,” the disclaimer stated.

A search of the Budget Office’s published 2026 Appropriation Bill details under the “Summary by MDAs” lists an entity described as “Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council” with code 0111062001 and a total allocation of ₦1.303 billion, comprising ₦802.98 million for personnel, ₦200 million for overhead, and ₦300 million for capital expenditure.

But the Presidency reinforced its position in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, describing both the PFIPC and PEAC as fictitious.

“We are aware of the public interest in the matter of a man called Adeyemi Adeniyi Matthew, who has been parading himself as the director-general of a fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council cum Presidential Economic Advisory Council,” Onanuga said.

According to the Presidency, concerns about the alleged agency first emerged in October 2025 after the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission complained that another organisation appeared to be operating at cross-purposes with it.

Onanuga said the Chief of Staff subsequently petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force over what he described as forged appointment letters and the activities of individuals allegedly impersonating government officials.

He said investigations by the Police led to Adeyemi’s arrest in Abuja on October 27, 2025, following searches of his office and residence.

According to the Presidency, investigators concluded that the PFIPC was fictitious, alleged that Adeyemi forged appointment documents, falsely presented himself as a government appointee, and fraudulently sought official diplomatic support for visa applications.

The Presidency further stated that the Police recovered documents during their investigation, alleged that Adeyemi operated multiple bank accounts linked to entities it described as fictitious, and subsequently filed an eight-count charge against him and two others at the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 27, 2025.

The Presidency noted that the matter is pending before the court, with Adeyemi scheduled to appear on July 27, and urged the public to await the judicial process.

“The Police found that Adeyemi, using the fake documents he created, fraudulently opened a CBN account by misleading the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation. According to the police, no government money has been transferred into the account.

“The act of the suspect constitutes criminal forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence, thereby bringing the office of the Chief of Staff to the President and the Presidency to disrepute before the public and international community,” the police wrote in the report of the investigation conducted by the assistant commissioner, Kabir Mogaji.

“Based on their investigations, the police filed an eight-count charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja against Adeyemi and two of his accomplices on November 27, 2025. He is due in court on July 27,” he stated.

“Adeyemi was on police bail when he recently claimed that the Chief of Staff had appointed him as DG of the fictitious agency. This claim contradicted his statement to the police in November last year. His new claim prompted the Chief of Staff, on June 8, to issue a disclaimer consistent with earlier advisories that the man, called Adeyemi, is an imposter.

“The case of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew is a clear case of a con artist who appears to have built a web of false claims to deceive unsuspecting government officials and the public into playing by his scam book. He has a history of fraudulent misrepresentation. In November 2016, he paraded himself as an ambassador and President-General of the World Youth Organisation (WYO), an affiliate of the United Nations (UN). He claimed to have been elected in New Delhi, India. The local media celebrated him until the UN denied the existence of such a body,” Onanuga added.

The Presidency, therefore, urged politicians and the public not to accept Adeyemi’s allegations uncritically, advising them to await the outcome of his trial and the court’s judgment since the matter is before the court.