President Bola Tinubu has directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the activities surrounding the alleged fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), demanding a full report within 30 days.
The directive was disclosed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Tuesday titled “President Tinubu Orders ICPC to Investigate Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.”
According to Onanuga, the investigation follows the discovery of a council that the Presidency said was never created by the Federal Government and had no legal backing, presidential approval, or official establishment process.
The ICPC has been asked to investigate the alleged forged appointment letters and government documents used by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who presented himself as the Director-General of the council and claimed to be a presidential appointee.
The probe will also examine claims that the alleged fake appointment was used to secure government recognition, diplomatic assistance, visa facilitation and the opening of bank accounts linked to supposed government agencies.
The President also directed the commission to investigate how the organisation gained official appearance, including the involvement of any public officer, private individual, financial institution or other parties who may have helped facilitate the alleged scheme.
The statement added that the ICPC would identify weaknesses within government systems that allowed the situation to occur and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Tinubu stressed that the credibility of government institutions must be protected from impersonation, forgery and misuse of official identity, adding that anyone found responsible would face the law.
The directive comes amid growing criticism from civil society groups, opposition figures and legal experts over how the alleged council operated, opened accounts, appeared in the 2026 budget with a N1.3bn allocation and engaged government institutions despite claims that it did not exist.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), who represents Adeyemi, had questioned how the council was able to appear in government records and called for a wider investigation into all parties connected to the matter.
The Presidency had earlier denied any link between the council and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, saying police forensic checks showed that the signature on the disputed appointment letter was forged.
Bayo Onanuga said the police had already investigated the matter before filing charges against Adeyemi and confirmed that the documents presented by him were allegedly fake.
Meanwhile, Adeyemi’s father has been released by the police after being questioned over his son’s whereabouts.
A neighbour who spoke with The PUNCH said the elderly man was interrogated for hours before being allowed to return home.
The arrest had earlier attracted criticism from Falana, who described it as unnecessary and unlawful, arguing that family members should not be targeted because of allegations involving another person.
Falana maintained that Adeyemi had not absconded and had appeared in court several times, with the next hearing scheduled for July 27.
The Senate also said it would not intervene in the controversy, stating that the matter is already before the court and no formal petition had been submitted to the National Assembly.
Senate spokesperson, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, said the controversial budget allocation was not created or inserted by lawmakers, adding that the legislature was not responsible for verifying the authenticity of government appointments.
He explained that the dispute falls mainly within the Executive arm of government and should be resolved there, unless a formal petition is brought before the Senate.
Adeyemi is currently facing trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations bordering on conspiracy, forgery and impersonation, with the Federal Government listing Gbajabiamila and 10 others as prosecution witnesses.
