Fake Agency Scandal Takes New Turn as Reps Clear Gbajabiamila, Uncover 58 Accounts, Forged Presidential Documents
Fake Agency Scandal Takes New Turn as Reps Clear Gbajabiamila, Uncover 58 Accounts, Forged Presidential Documents
By Akin Alade
Fresh revelations have shifted attention in the controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), after a House of Representatives investigative panel cleared President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, of involvement while uncovering what it described as an elaborate trail of allegedly forged government documents and dozens of bank accounts.
The preliminary findings have transformed the controversy from allegations surrounding a senior Presidency official into a potentially wider case involving alleged impersonation of government institutions, fabrication of official documents and weaknesses in Nigeria’s administrative verification system.
Chairman of the House Ad Hoc Committee investigating the matter, Yusuf Gagdi, said documentary evidence examined by lawmakers did not establish that Gbajabiamila authorised, approved, established or participated in the activities of the purported council.
Instead, according to the committee, available records showed that the Chief of Staff contacted relevant security and investigative agencies after concerns surrounding the organisation were brought to his attention.
The agencies contacted reportedly included the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Office of the National Security Adviser and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Forged Appointment Letter Changes Direction of Investigation
One of the major findings concerns a purported appointment letter naming Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi as Director-General of the controversial organisation.
The House committee said its investigation established that the document was not issued or signed by Gbajabiamila.
According to the lawmakers, the letterhead was not authentic State House stationery, while the reference number also failed to conform with the Presidency’s official referencing system.
The finding is significant because Adeyemi had previously presented himself as head of the purported government organisation and his claims had dragged the Chief of Staff into the controversy.
The committee’s findings now suggest that Gbajabiamila’s name and office may instead have been used without authorisation.
Fake Executive Order, Purported Act Uncovered
The investigation went beyond the disputed appointment letter.
Lawmakers said documents presented as legal instruments establishing the organisation also failed verification.
A document presented as a Presidential Executive Order dated February 24, 2026 was, according to the committee, neither issued nor approved through the lawful processes of the Presidency.
Similarly, what was presented as an Act of the National Assembly establishing the organisation was found not to have been passed by the two chambers, assented to by the President or gazetted as federal law.
The committee said portions of an instrument belonging to another institution appeared to have been electronically altered or substituted to create the impression that the National Assembly had legally established the organisation.
Consequently, lawmakers said they found no valid Act, executive order or other lawful administrative instrument establishing the purported council.
58 Bank Accounts Raise Fresh Questions
While Gbajabiamila has been cleared by the House panel at the preliminary stage, the financial dimension of the investigation has opened another major chapter.
The committee said preliminary financial information identified about 58 bank accounts linked to identifying details associated with Adeyemi.
More than 30 of the accounts were reportedly operated under the names of about nine agencies, companies, foundations and other entities allegedly connected to him.
Investigators are also examining an alleged N400 million transaction which the committee said may have involved fraudulent representations.
These discoveries have prompted calls for deeper financial investigation to determine the ownership, purpose and movement of funds through the identified accounts.
Importantly, the allegations involving Adeyemi and associated entities remain subject to ongoing investigation and judicial processes, and guilt can only be determined by a competent court.
How Did a Purported Fake Agency Enter Government System?
Beyond the personalities involved, perhaps the most troubling question arising from the PFIPC controversy is how an organisation found to lack lawful existence managed to gain traction within government structures.
The purported council appeared in Nigeria’s 2026 federal budget framework despite the House committee finding no valid legal instrument establishing it.
Previous testimony before the committee also showed that apparently official correspondence had been processed by government institutions before questions emerged about its authenticity.
That raises potentially serious questions about verification procedures across Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
If forged documents can travel through government bureaucracy and generate administrative actions before their authenticity is challenged, the controversy exposes a vulnerability extending far beyond the PFIPC case itself.
ICPC Had Earlier Cleared Gbajabiamila
The House findings are not the first investigation to distance Gbajabiamila from the controversial organisation.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission had earlier said its investigation found no evidence linking the Chief of Staff to Adeyemi’s purported appointment or establishing direct engagement between them.
According to the anti-corruption commission, evidence indicated that the disputed appointment letter was forged on a fake State House letterhead.
The separate findings of the ICPC and House committee therefore place increasing attention on how the alleged documents were produced, how they travelled through government institutions and whether other individuals or entities participated in the scheme.
Reps Demand Stronger Government Verification System
The House committee has recommended stronger authentication procedures for the creation of new federal institutions, budget codes and official correspondence purportedly originating from the Presidency and other senior government offices.
Lawmakers also proposed strengthening a secure centralised digital verification platform through which government agencies and members of the public could independently confirm the lawful existence and status of federal institutions.
Such a system could make it considerably more difficult for individuals to allegedly use fabricated letters, executive instruments or institutional identities to obtain recognition from government agencies.
The committee also called for the completion of criminal and financial investigations and, where sufficient admissible evidence exists, prosecution before competent courts.
It further recommended the tracing and possible preservation or recovery of assets found through due process to be proceeds of unlawful activity.
Gbajabiamila Cleared, But Bigger Questions Remain
The preliminary clearance of Gbajabiamila may remove one major political controversy surrounding the investigation, but it does not close the PFIPC scandal.
Instead, it creates an arguably bigger question for the Federal Government: How could a purported institution without a valid establishing law penetrate official administrative and budgetary processes?
Finding the answer may prove more important than determining which political personality wins or loses from the controversy.
For Nigeria, the PFIPC episode has become a test of the security and credibility of government documentation, institutional verification and the safeguards protecting the Presidency and other public institutions from impersonation.
As investigations continue, attention will increasingly turn towards identifying everyone involved, tracing the financial transactions under scrutiny and closing administrative loopholes that could allow a similar incident to happen again.
