Morganable politics/Governance
Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has called for what he described as a truly independent investigation, arguing that the probe ordered by the Presidency lacks credibility.
kaNo —
The controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) deepened on Wednesday as the Senate, for the second time in one week, rejected a motion seeking to investigate the disputed budgetary allocation to the agency, while former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Presidency engaged in a war of words over how the matter should be probed.
The development came amid growing public scrutiny of the PFIPC, an entity the Presidency has since disowned, even as questions persist over how it allegedly operated within government circles and secured access to public resources.
Tensions escalated further following the arrest of Adeniyi Adeyemi, who has described himself as the Director-General of the council.
The Nigeria Police Force confirmed that Adeyemi was taken into custody on Tuesday in Abuja after a bench warrant was issued by a Federal High Court for his failure to appear for arraignment.
Adeyemi is expected to face an eight-count charge bordering on alleged conspiracy, forgery and impersonation, marking a major turning point in the unfolding scandal that has drawn national attention.
Adeyemi had alleged that the presidential aide demanded a N400 million bribe and sought a 48 per cent stake in the agency’s proposed N27.4 billion take-off grant-claims that have not been substantiated.
President Tinubu Orders Probe
In response to the controversy, President Bola Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the PFIPC and the contentious budgetary provisions linked to it.
The anti-graft agency has been given a 30-day timeline to submit its findings.
However, the directive has failed to quell criticism, particularly from opposition figures.
Atiku Calls For Independent Probe
Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has called for what he described as a truly independent investigation, arguing that the probe ordered by the Presidency lacks credibility.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the PFIPC scandal represented a major test of the Tinubu administration’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
He argued that the controversy extended beyond the alleged actions of Adeyemi, raising fundamental concerns about governance and institutional integrity.
He questioned how the PFIPC reportedly secured office accommodation within the Federal Secretariat, recruited hundreds of personnel, obtained diplomatic recognition and was allegedly allocated public funds.
“The scandal is not merely that one man allegedly impersonated public authority,” Atiku said. “The greater scandal is that the Tinubu administration allegedly opened the doors of the Nigerian state to him, allowed him to acquire the appearance and privileges of official legitimacy and permitted him to interact with institutions and diplomatic interests in the name of the Federal Government.”
Atiku Questions Inserted 6.4bn World Cup Support Funds
The former Vice President also drew attention to what he described as questionable provisions in the 2026 Appropriation Act, particularly a N6.44 billion allocation for a “Special Presidential Support Group for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.”
He questioned the rationale behind the budgetary item, noting that Nigeria had already been eliminated from the qualifiers months before the budget was presented to the National Assembly.
“How does a serious government budget N6.44 billion for presidential support for World Cup qualifiers after the country had already been eliminated?” he queried. “What competition was the money intended to support? Who inserted the provision, who approved it and who was expected to benefit from an expenditure whose stated purpose had already ceased to exist?”
“It reinforces public suspicion that the national budget has become a warehouse for dubious expenditures, fiscal waste and allocations without any defensible public purpose,” he said.
The ADC chieftain also expressed concern over the timing of Adeyemi’s arrest, suggesting that it could be used to shift attention away from broader systemic issues raised by the scandal.
While acknowledging that the allegations against Adeyemi-including forgery, impersonation and obtaining money under false pretences—are serious, Atiku insisted that they remain unproven and should be subjected to an impartial and transparent process.
“The probe ordered by President Tinubu and assigned to the ICPC is insufficient, self-serving and incapable of inspiring public confidence in the government’s claim of innocence,” he stated.
Atiku further warned against any attempt to manipulate the outcome of the investigation, cautioning that a compromised process could further erode public trust in the administration.
“A compromised process in which the government interrogates suspects in secrecy, suppresses inconvenient facts and later emerges with a contrived narrative blaming the opposition would be a pathetic assault on truth and a further demolition of the credibility of the Tinubu administration,” he added.
To ensure credibility, the former Vice President called on the National Assembly to establish an independent bipartisan investigative panel to examine all aspects of the PFIPC controversy.
He also urged the Nigerian Bar Association, civil society organisations and the international community to demand transparency and accountability in the investigation.
“We therefore call on the National Assembly to immediately constitute an independent bipartisan panel to investigate every aspect of the PFIPC scandal,” Atiku said.
“Nigerians deserve to know who authorised the PFIPC, who facilitated its access to public institutions, who secured its office accommodation, who obtained diplomatic recognition for it, who inserted funds for it in the national budget and who benefited from its operations. Nigerians deserve the truth not another carefully scripted public relations exercise.”
Meanwhile, the Senate’s decision to again reject a motion to probe the PFIPC has further fuelled concerns among stakeholders, with critics arguing that legislative oversight is critical to uncovering the full extent of the controversy.
As the Presidency pushes ahead with the ICPC-led investigation and opposition voices demand a broader, independent inquiry, the PFIPC scandal continues to expose deep divisions within Nigeria’s political landscape, raising pressing questions about transparency, accountability and the integrity of public institutions.
Sources include official statements, on-record interviews, public documents and verified reporting.
