Presidency Seeks Probe of Alleged PFIPC Collaborators, Defends Gbajabiamila

The Presidency has called on the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate and expose individuals allegedly aiding Prince Matthew Adeniyi in running the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).

The government further accused internal collaborators of helping Adeniyi orchestrate a smear campaign against the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.

Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, made the allegations in a post on X, where he described Adeniyi as an “irredeemable con artist” allegedly using corruption allegations to deflect attention from criminal accusations against him.

Ajayi alleged that Adeniyi exploited public sentiment around corruption while attempting to associate Gbajabiamila with a multi-billion-naira fraudulent operation.

He disclosed that investigators from the DSS, Police and EFCC were already examining how Adeniyi allegedly forged presidential appointment documents, managed 34 bank accounts tied to fake agencies, hosted foreign ambassadors and opened a Central Bank of Nigeria account while posing as director-general of the PFIPC.

Ajayi stated: “What is not in doubt is that internal collaborators enabled Adeniyi to get this far. That is precisely what investigators from the DSS, the Police and the EFCC must now unravel.

“The criminal network within the affected institutions must be dismantled and everyone found to have played a role should be arrested and prosecuted.”

He further argued that corruption allegations are often easily believed in Nigeria, making it possible for suspects to distract the public from the core issues.

“In Nigeria, the easiest and most believable allegation anyone can throw at a public officer is corruption. Once that accusation is thrown into the mix, the water is polluted, the lines are blurred and everyone is kept busy arguing over distractions rather than the real issues,” Ajayi said.

He added: “Matthew Adeniyi understands Nigerian public psychology and he is exploiting it expertly to shield himself. He is an irredeemable con artist who is attempting to drag the name of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, into his criminal enterprise. The Chief of Staff is simply his last straw.”

Ajayi acknowledged concerns over institutional lapses that allowed the alleged scheme to operate but maintained that the system ultimately identified and exposed the fraud.

According to him, officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs detected inconsistencies and escalated the matter to the appropriate authorities.

“Contrary to the anything-goes narrative being promoted, it was the system itself that raised the red flag and dealt with it administratively,” he said.

He further noted: “That is a system functioning as it should. It is a system capable of detecting an aberration.”

Earlier, on June 11, 2026, Gbajabiamila issued a public disclaimer stating that the PFIPC had no official recognition and that no appointments existed under the organisation.

On July 1, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga revealed that Adeniyi had already been charged with eight criminal counts before the Federal High Court since November 27, 2025.

Onanuga alleged that Adeniyi operated 34 bank accounts under fake government agencies and fraudulently obtained a CBN account through deceptive dealings with the Office of the Accountant-General.

He also revealed that the witness said to have facilitated the forged appointment letter died in a hotel fire five days before Adeniyi’s arrest on October 27, 2025.

Reacting to the matter, senior lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, argued that the Presidency lacked constitutional authority to absolve anyone connected to the allegations.

Falana called for an independent investigation by the ICPC into both Gbajabiamila and Adeniyi.

He also requested clarification regarding claims that N24 billion was budgeted for the non-existent agency and questioned how it was able to operate a CBN account.

Adeniyi is scheduled to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 27, 2026, alongside two other suspects currently on the run.

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