The Presidency has described the controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) as a “pure scam,” saying discrepancies in a purported appointment letter exposed it as a forged document.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, disclosed this during an interview on Arise Television on Friday while reacting to claims surrounding the non-existent federal agency.
According to Ajayi, one of the clearest signs of forgery was the presence of a telephone number on the alleged State House letterhead, noting that genuine Presidency letterheads do not carry contact telephone numbers.
“Anybody familiar with how the Presidency operates will immediately know that the document is fake,” he said, describing the appointment letter as a forged document.
Ajayi also dismissed claims that the appointment originated from the office of the Chief of Staff, stressing that only the President has the constitutional authority to make appointments into government agencies and extra-ministerial bodies.
He explained that the Chief of Staff merely communicates the President’s approval to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), which is responsible for issuing official appointment letters.
He said anyone publicly displaying an appointment letter purportedly issued directly by the Chief of Staff’s office should have raised immediate suspicion.
On whether government insiders may have aided the alleged fraud, Ajayi said the possibility could not be ruled out, especially given the suspect’s ability to operate from the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja.
The suspect, Adeniyi Adeyemi, is facing an eight-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged conspiracy, forgery and impersonation. Two other suspects identified as Femi and Anu remain at large.
Adeyemi was arrested on October 27, 2025, following a petition submitted to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force over the alleged scheme.
Investigators allege that he operated 34 bank accounts linked to fictitious government agencies while presenting himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
Despite the allegations, Adeyemi has maintained that his appointment was genuine and has denied evading the law.
He also accused the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, of demanding 48 per cent of the council’s take-off grant and alleged that he paid N400 million to secure the appointment. Gbajabiamila has denied the allegations.
Ajayi disclosed that security agencies, including the DSS, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the police, are investigating how the suspect allegedly forged official documents, operated multiple bank accounts and hosted foreign diplomats while posing as the head of a non-existent government agency.
The Presidency had earlier disowned the PFIPC, insisting that it has no legal or official recognition.
Meanwhile, human rights lawyer Femi Falana has called for an independent investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), urging the agency to investigate both Adeyemi and the allegations made against Gbajabiamila, while seeking clarification over the reported N24 billion budgetary allocation linked to the non-existent agency.
The case has been adjourned until July 27, 2026, for further hearing.
