The Presidency and Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew have traded fresh claims over the existence of the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), with the Federal Government insisting the bodies are fictitious while Adeyemi maintains they were legitimately established.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President had, in October 2025, petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force over the activities of individuals allegedly forging appointment letters and impersonating government officials.
According to the Presidency, the Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, raised the alarm after complaints from the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC) that another body was operating at cross-purposes with it.
Onanuga said investigations by the police established that Adeyemi had allegedly forged documents and falsely presented himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, a body the Presidency insists does not exist.
He added that police investigations allegedly uncovered forged appointment letters, fake official documents and 34 bank accounts linked to Adeyemi, including accounts opened in the names of purported government agencies.
The statement further said an eight-count charge bordering on forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence was filed against Adeyemi and two others at the Federal High Court, Abuja, in November 2025, with the matter fixed for July 27, 2026.
The Presidency also recalled that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had questioned the status of the alleged agency after Adeyemi reportedly held meetings with foreign diplomats without the ministry’s knowledge, while both the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the Chief of Staff denied any knowledge of his appointment.
Describing Adeyemi as “a con artist” with a history of fraudulent misrepresentation, the Presidency urged politicians and members of the public not to be swayed by his claims and advised that the matter be left for judicial determination since it is already before the court.
However, in a press conference held on June 25, 2026, Adeyemi rejected the allegations and accused the Presidency of attempting to suppress the truth.
He argued that the controversy was no longer about his person but about what he described as contradictions in government records, claiming that both the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council were listed on pages 50 and 51 of the 2026 Appropriation Act.
According to him, if the agencies were truly non-existent as claimed by the Presidency, their inclusion in the national budget would raise serious questions about the integrity of the budget preparation and approval process.
Adeyemi further claimed that the agency operated from the Federal Secretariat, had Treasury Single Account and domiciliary accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria, and had received approvals relating to staffing and operations, questioning how such developments could have occurred without official backing.
He also levelled allegations against Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, accusing him of demanding kickbacks in connection with the agency’s take-off grant and influencing appointments. Adeyemi, however, did not provide publicly verifiable evidence to substantiate the allegations.
Calling for transparency, he urged President Bola Tinubu to constitute an independent investigative panel to review official records, investigate the circumstances surrounding the controversy and establish the true status of the agencies.
The Presidency, however, maintained that its position remains unchanged, insisting that no such agencies exist, that Adeyemi was never appointed by the President or the Chief of Staff, and that the issues raised are already before a competent court.
With both sides standing firmly by their positions, the controversy is expected to shift to the courtroom, where the criminal charges against Adeyemi and his co-defendants are due for hearing later this month.
