The House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has released its preliminary findings.
The committee said it has discovered 58 bank accounts and 12 agencies as well as entities allegedly linked to Adeniyi Adeyemi, who presented himself as the council’s Director-General.
In its preliminary report released on Wednesday, the committe also accused the Budget Office of the Federation of “institutional lapses” in the handling of matters relating to the purported agency.
The development comes days after the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) identified four government officials allegedly connected to the processes through which the PFIPC obtained administrative approvals, access to government facilities and entry into official government systems.
The officials identified by the ICPC are Rose Achem, Patricia Akhigbe, Mimi Abu and Aminu Abdullahi.
The ICPC’s findings formed part of its interim investigation into Adeyemi and the activities of the organisation, which the Federal Government has repeatedly said was never legally established.
According to the anti-corruption agency, Adeyemi was nevertheless able to take the purported council through several government procedures with the assistance of officials in different institutions.
The commission also found that some of the documents presented by Adeyemi to establish the existence of the PFIPC were forged.
Despite the alleged forgery, the documents were reportedly processed by government officials and subsequently used to obtain administrative recognition, financial access and office accommodation for the organisation.
Adeyemi reportedly began seeking formal recognition for the PFIPC in November 2024 when he approached the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF).
He was seeking an administrative code, self-accounting status and approval to open accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Among the documents submitted were an alleged appointment letter, an establishment instrument and a letter printed on State House letterhead.
The letter was purportedly signed by one Akanbi Adewale. However, investigators later found that there was no such official and that a forensic examination showed the document had actually been signed by Adeyemi.
The alleged irregularities did not immediately prevent the documents from being used in further administrative processes involving the purported agency.
The ICPC also investigated how the PFIPC secured approval for its establishment and recruitment waiver.
Its investigation focused particularly on Achem, described as a senior administrative officer to the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation; Akhigbe, an assistant director in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning; and Abu, director of organisation design and development at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF).
Investigators said Achem introduced Akhigbe to Abu as the head of human resources of the PFIPC, even though Akhigbe was an assistant director in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
The three officials subsequently became involved in efforts to facilitate the purported council’s application for authorised establishment and recruitment waiver through the OHCSF.
According to the ICPC, the procedure followed by the officials did not conform with the normal process.
The commission said it found no evidence that the PFIPC had formally submitted an application for authorised establishment and recruitment waiver before the approval was granted.
More significantly, the approval was reportedly granted on the same day Achem, Akhigbe and Abu met.
The ICPC also alleged that Adeyemi paid Akhigbe N500,000 during the Easter period in 2025, describing the payment as a “thank you for your support.”
Abu’s role also came under scrutiny because her department is responsible for authorised establishment, manpower requirements and recruitment waivers for federal government organisations.
The department is also responsible for establishment and workforce planning, organisation design, job design and development, as well as rules and regulations.
The investigation established that Achem and Akhigbe met Abu on behalf of the PFIPC and presented documents that investigators later described as forged.
One of the documents was the controversial appointment letter allegedly issued by the Chief of Staff to the President.
Abu reportedly described the document as an “aberration” and told investigators that she could not recall another government organisation presenting an appointment letter signed by the Chief of Staff.
The commission further discovered that the purported agency encountered difficulties uploading the required documents through the OHCSF portal, after which physical copies were presented to officials.
The investigation also traced the PFIPC’s efforts to obtain office accommodation within the Federal Secretariat to another government official, Aminu Abdullahi, who was responsible for coordinating office allocation within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).
Abdullahi became involved after Adeyemi sought office accommodation for the purported council.
Investigators said a deputy director in the General Services Department, Ibrahim Abdulkadir, introduced Abdullahi to Adeyemi in March 2025 to guide him through the process of securing an office at the Federal Secretariat.
The move followed an earlier attempt by the purported agency to obtain accommodation through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which reportedly did not produce the desired outcome.
The ICPC said Abdullahi subsequently allocated offices previously occupied by former Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Doyin Salami, at the Federal Secretariat Phase III for temporary use by the PFIPC.
The allocation was allegedly made without written approval.
The anti-corruption agency also examined Abdullahi’s financial records and found that his bank statement showed three separate payments totalling N3.25 million allegedly received from Adeyemi between March and November 2025.
The Presidency has consistently maintained that the PFIPC was not created by President Bola Tinubu’s administration and that Adeyemi was never appointed by the President to head such an organisation.
Adeyemi is currently facing an eight-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations including forgery and impersonation.
He has denied the allegations against him and maintained that he would prove his innocence in court.
COURTESY: PoliticsNigeria
