PFIPC Probe: Reps Committee Declares Disputed DG’s Appointment Letter Fake

The House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the alleged operations of the disputed Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has declared the appointment letter presented by the council’s self-acclaimed Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, as fake.

Chairman of the committee, Yusuf Gagdi, made the disclosure on Wednesday during the continuation of the investigative hearing in Abuja.

According to Gagdi, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who appeared before the committee for the second time, confirmed that the documents submitted by Adeyemi were not authentic.

“It was established that the so-called letter of appointment was fake, confirmed by different agencies, and the Act presented to the Head of Service was equally fake and forged by the DG,” Gagdi said.

Appearing before the lawmakers in compliance with a summons, Walson-Jack admitted that her office failed to carry out adequate due diligence before recognizing the purported council.

She accepted responsibility for the oversight, explaining that officials relied on documents that appeared genuine because they bore the State House logo and what seemed to be a familiar signature.

However, she disclosed that a subsequent comparison with authentic State House correspondence, supported by police forensic findings, revealed that the signatures did not match.

The Head of Service assured the committee that her office would strengthen its verification procedures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Also appearing before the panel were Deputy Commissioner of Police Olufemi Akinola and Assistant Commissioner of Police Bashir Abdullahi, representing the Inspector-General of Police.

Akinola informed the committee that Adeyemi could not honour the invitation because of a subsisting court order, adding that he could only appear before the lawmakers if directed by a court of competent jurisdiction.

Following the submissions, the committee adjourned the hearing until next week.

The committee had earlier directed the Inspector-General of Police to produce Adeyemi within 48 hours after describing the establishment and operation of the PFIPC as a serious breach of due process.

Lawmakers said Adeyemi’s appearance was necessary to explain how the council secured official recognition and processed government correspondence.

The controversy intensified after Adeyemi alleged during a press briefing that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, demanded 48 per cent of the PFIPC’s proposed ₦27.3 billion take-off grant.

He further alleged that the Chief of Staff received ₦400 million through a proxy and later requested an additional ₦200 million to facilitate presidential approvals.

Gbajabiamila has strongly denied the allegations, insisting that he has no personal, official or professional relationship with Adeyemi. He also denied demanding or receiving any money, as well as allegations linking him to the death of Babatunde Tanimola, whom Adeyemi claimed acted as an intermediary, and claims of interference in security investigations.

In response to the allegations, President Bola Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the matter.

The House subsequently constituted a 12-member ad hoc committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the establishment of the disputed council and its inclusion in the 2026 budget.

The panel is also investigating the alleged allocation of ₦1.3 billion to the agency in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

During the hearing, the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu, assured lawmakers that no funds appropriated for the disputed agency had been released or spent.

He explained that although the National Assembly approved funding for the council, the statutory conditions required for the release and expenditure of the funds were never fulfilled.