Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has criticized the Presidency’s handling of the controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), arguing that the government’s response has exposed serious institutional failures.
In a statement released on Thursday, Atiku said the Presidency’s attempt to explain the controversy surrounding the alleged council suggested that individuals operating from within or around government institutions had been able to exploit the system through fraudulent activities.
“The Presidency’s attempt to explain away the scandal surrounding the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council has exposed a government held hostage by fraudsters operating from within the very institutions established to protect the Nigerian state,” Atiku said.
His remarks followed a fresh statement by the Presidency dismissing claims linking Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, to the alleged appointment of one Adeniyi Adeyemi as head of the purported council. The Presidency maintained that the PFIPC does not exist under the Tinubu administration and described Adeyemi as an impostor who allegedly forged official documents to present himself as the director-general of the non-existent body. It also disclosed that security agencies had been notified and that criminal proceedings had been initiated against the suspect.
The Presidency explained that concerns over the alleged organisation first arose after complaints from the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), which reportedly discovered that a parallel body was presenting itself as a government agency and engaging with foreign diplomats and investors using official government symbols.
Reacting to the official explanation, Atiku argued that the matter raised broader questions about governance and accountability.
According to the former vice president, the incident should not be treated as an isolated case but as evidence of weaknesses within government institutions that require an independent and transparent investigation.
The PFIPC controversy gained public attention after an individual claiming to head the council made allegations against senior government officials. In response, the Presidency reiterated that neither the organisation nor any appointment connected to it had ever been authorised by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, urging the public, diplomatic missions and development partners to disregard any claims made on behalf of the purported council.
At the time of reporting, the Presidency had not publicly responded to Atiku’s latest criticism beyond its earlier detailed statement rejecting the existence of the alleged council and defending the integrity of the Office of the Chief of Staff.
