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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has given President Bola Tinubu a seven-day ultimatum to order an independent investigation into the scandal surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
The former vice president said the controversy was more than just accusations of forgery and impersonation, and described it as a major test of the credibility of government institutions.
Atiku confirmed this in a statement issued on Friday by Senior Special Assistant for Public Communications, Phrank Shaibu.
Atiku noted that the key issue is no longer whether one individual falsified documents, but how an institution that the Presidency claims never existed, allegedly operates through official government channels.
He stressed that President Tinubu should direct a “transparent, comprehensive and independent investigation” into the matter and publish its findings within seven days.
According to Atiku, failure to do so “will only strengthen growing public suspicions that those in power at the highest levels of government may be profiting from the alleged fraud, and that many Nigerians seeking office in the public sector may have been defrauded through fraud that has official cover.”
The opposition leader questioned the Presidency’s explanation of the controversy, saying that the statement made by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, left more questions than answers.
“If the government wants Nigerians to believe that there is one person who set up an office for himself, secured office space within government facilities, held meetings with foreign embassy delegations, paid courtesy visits to the EFCC, processed staff salaries through official channels, allegedly operated institutional accounts, and carried out all these activities without the knowledge, consent, negligence or collaboration of anyone in government, then that narrative raises more troubling questions than it answers,” Atiku said.
“At this point, the story looks less like a clear explanation and more like an attempt to isolate someone after internal arrangements went wrong. If Mr. Adeniyi Adeyemi committed fraud, he should face the law. But the bigger question is: what kind of government system allows such a complex operation to pass through budgetary, administrative, security and institutional channels undetected?
“Haba. Nigerian society cannot be asked to accept such stories in their entirety.”
Atiku said although the statement of the accused, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, may be relevant to the allegations against him, they could not explain how the government’s official process accommodated the institution.
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“Was it his character that secured budget allocations for a supposedly fictitious office? Was it his predecessor who provided him with office space in a government facility? Was it his character that allowed him to hold meetings with foreign delegates, legislators, and public officials, some of which were reportedly covered by the media? Was it his character that opened or operated official financial channels for the agency?
“At some point, we have to separate a person’s alleged behavior from the institutional systems that enable or fail to detect it,” he said.
The former vice president also referred to reports that the PFIPC emerged in the Appropriation Act of 2026 with a budget allocation running into billions of naira and that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation allegedly approved the recruitment of over 300 personnel into the agency.
He argued that such developments could not be considered mere administrative errors.
“This development cannot be considered an administrative oversight. Budget preparation is a structured process involving ministries, departments, agencies, the Budget Office, the National Assembly, and ultimately presidential approval. Recruitment into the Federal Civil Service is also governed by workforce planning, establishment approval, financial implications, grade level classification, and institutional approval. These things do not happen by chance.
“This stretches credibility beyond reasonable limits by showing that an institution described as completely fictitious can appear in official budget documents, reportedly obtain approval for the recruitment of hundreds of personnel, obtain official space, interact with state institutions and foreign missions, and yet have no supporters in government.
“As Chinua Achebe once reminded us, someone asked to carry a basket of eggs will not break them all and then blame the street. The presidency cannot continue to blame one person while refusing to account for the official system that gave life to the scandal,” he explained.
Atiku further said that the new claims from Adeyemi, who has denied any wrongdoing and alleged that influential people were trying to silence him, had made an independent investigation even more necessary.
“Whether his claims are true or false, the Presidency cannot determine through a press statement. That is why Nigeria needs an independent investigation. Let the facts speak. Let every document be examined. Let every agreement be traced. Let every official who acted, neglected his duties, or enabled this scandal be identified and held accountable,” he said.
According to him, the controversy has now raised broader concerns about the integrity of Nigeria’s budget process, the credibility of the Federal Civil Service, the effectiveness of institutional oversight, and the ability of the Presidency to account for activities allegedly carried out in the name of the agency.
“Nigeria deserves the truth. Investigating this matter quietly and addressing the errors that exist would be better than presenting publicly a story that collapses because of its own contradictions. The President must immediately order a comprehensive and independent investigation. Failure to do so will mean complicity by remaining silent,” said Atiku.
