"The purported appointment letter was fabricated and falsely attributed to the Presidency.” The post PFIPC: Reps panel exonerates Gbajabiamila, uncovers forged documents appeared first on Vanguard News .
..Finds fake Executive Order, mutilated National Assembly Act, 58 bank accounts, alleged N400m fraud
By Gift ChapiOdekina, Abuja
ABUJA — The House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC, has exonerated the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, from allegations that he authorised, established or participated in the activities of the purported government agency.
The committee, chaired by Rep. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, said its preliminary findings showed that the organisation was not lawfully created by the Federal Government and that documents allegedly used to confer presidential and legislative legitimacy on it were forged, fabricated or altered.
Of particular significance, the committee found that a purported letter appointing Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi as Director-General of the PFIPC and allegedly bearing Gbajabiamila’s authority and signature was not issued by the Chief of Staff or the Presidency.
According to the committee, evidence obtained from the State House established that “no such appointment was made or approved by the Presidency” and that “the Chief of Staff neither issued nor signed the letter.”
The lawmakers further found that the letterhead was not authentic State House letterhead, while the purported reference number was inconsistent with the official referencing system of the Presidency.
“The format, language and administrative features of the document departed materially from official State House correspondence,” the committee stated.
It consequently made a preliminary finding that “the purported appointment letter was fabricated and falsely attributed to the Presidency.”
The finding effectively clears Gbajabiamila of the allegation, as the committee said it found no evidence linking him to the purported appointment or organisation.
Rather than finding evidence linking the Chief of Staff to the alleged scheme, the committee said documents before it showed that Gbajabiamila had taken steps to trigger investigations into the organisation when concerns were brought to his attention.
It said that following an alert from the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, NIPC, over suspected fraudulent activities and misuse of institutional materials, Gbajabiamila acted within one day by communicating with security and investigative agencies.
The agencies included the Nigeria Police Force, Office of the National Security Adviser, Department of State Services, DSS, and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The committee said he also initiated administrative verification through relevant government institutions.
It added that when additional concerns emerged, including issues surrounding a proposed World Investment Summit, further communications requesting investigation and appropriate action were issued.
In one of its strongest findings, the committee stated: “The documentary evidence presently before the Committee does not establish that the Chief of Staff authorised, approved, established or participated in the activities of the purported organisation.”
It added: “On the contrary, the evidence demonstrates repeated steps to secure investigation, institutional verification and appropriate administrative action.”
The committee therefore commended Gbajabiamila for the timely security and administrative interventions he undertook whenever the matter was formally brought to his attention.
The committee said it uncovered a purported Presidential Executive Order No. 5, dated February 24, 2026, which was allegedly used to provide legal authority for the organisation.
The lawmakers, however, said evidence before them indicated that the document was neither issued nor approved through lawful presidential processes.
“The evidence presently available indicates that the document was not an authentic Executive Order of the President and was neither issued nor approved through the lawful processes of the Presidency,” the committee said.
It described the alleged fabrication of a presidential instrument as an exceptionally serious matter capable of undermining the authority of the Nigerian state.
The committee also uncovered what it described as the alleged mutilation and fabrication of a document presented as an Act of the National Assembly establishing the purported agency.
According to the lawmakers, the document was never passed by both chambers of the National Assembly, assented to by the President or gazetted as an Act of the Federation.
More seriously, the committee said portions of a document relating to another institution appeared to have been electronically altered, mutilated or substituted to create the impression that Parliament had established the purported organisation.
“The Committee considers this aspect of the investigation particularly grave,” the report stated.
It added that “no individual, organisation or group has the lawful authority to manufacture legislative authority by editing, mutilating, substituting or fabricating a document and presenting it as an enactment of Parliament.”
The investigation also uncovered a letter dated November 7, 2024, purportedly from the State House and addressed to the Accountant-General of the Federation, requesting an administrative code for the PFIPC.
The letter was allegedly signed by one Akambi Adewale, described as a Director of Administration and Support Services.
However, the committee said the State House established that the office represented in the document did not exist in the stated form, the purported directorate did not exist as represented and no State House officer known as Akambi Adewale served in the claimed capacity.
“The Committee therefore preliminarily finds that fictitious names, offices and official designations were deployed in a document calculated to mislead an important financial institution of the Federal Government,” the report stated.
While identifying alleged fraud and forgery, the committee also uncovered what it described as institutional lapses within government agencies.
The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation reportedly confirmed that its response to the purported State House request was authentic, although the originating request itself was allegedly forged.
The office also acknowledged that its response ought not to have been released to Adeyemi or another unauthorised person but should have been transmitted through a properly authenticated official channel.
The committee said it was investigating whether the incident resulted from negligence, failure to observe verification requirements, breach of correspondence procedures, wilful disregard of due process or deliberate facilitation.
The Budget Office of the Federation is similarly under scrutiny over how the purported organisation gained recognition within the Federal Budget Framework despite allegedly lacking lawful status.
The committee further found that the purported organisation occupied office accommodation within the Federal Secretariat Complex without lawful allocation from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
Evidence before the committee indicated that part of accommodation earlier allocated to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation was subsequently made available to the purported organisation by certain officers without lawful authority.
The lawmakers said the occupation of the facility helped the organisation project itself as a legitimate federal institution.
The committee disclosed that approximately 39 people were allegedly presented as employees of the purported organisation.
It said it was investigating their recruitment, appointment letters, identity cards, salaries and allowances, as well as allegations that some individuals may have been required to pay money as a condition for employment.
The committee said it would distinguish between people who were allegedly deceived and those who knowingly participated in or benefited from the activities under investigation.
Another major discovery involved a network of bank accounts allegedly linked to Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who also appeared in some records as Adeyemi Matthew.
The committee said preliminary financial information indicated that identifying details associated with Adeyemi were linked to approximately 58 bank accounts, with more than 30 apparently operated in the names of various agencies, companies, foundations or related entities.
The lawmakers listed several associated entities and said they were still reconciling registration records, account mandates, beneficial ownership information and transaction histories.
The committee, however, cautioned that it had not concluded that every account or entity identified was unlawful.
The lawmakers also disclosed an allegation involving approximately N400 million allegedly paid by a company to Adeyemi in four instalments.
The company claimed it was induced to make the payments after being promised a contract involving the renovation, furnishing or improvement of a residence purportedly allocated to Adeyemi in his claimed official capacity.
The committee said it was tracing the payment destinations, account holders and beneficial owners while investigating the ownership and status of the property allegedly presented as the official residence.
It stressed that criminal guilt had not been established and that all persons affected remained entitled to fair hearing and due process.
The committee said the matter went beyond the alleged creation of a fake agency, warning that the alleged fabrication of presidential and legislative documents represented a threat to the integrity of Nigeria’s constitutional institutions.
“The National Assembly cannot permit its legislative authority to be counterfeited,” the committee declared.
“The Presidency cannot be impersonated with impunity.”
It further stated: “The identity, authority and instruments of the Federal Republic of Nigeria cannot be appropriated by any private individual or organisation for personal advantage.”
The committee said its preliminary evidence identified Adeyemi as the principal person associated with the representation and operation of the purported organisation and with a wider network of related entities.
It, however, emphasised that the findings were preliminary and did not amount to a final determination of criminal guilt.
The committee recommended that security and anti-corruption agencies conclude their investigations and prosecute anyone against whom sufficient admissible evidence is established.
It also called for the tracing, preservation, freezing and recovery of proceeds of any established unlawful activity, subject to the law and applicable judicial processes.
The committee said it would complete outstanding aspects of its investigation before submitting its final report to the House.
The final report is expected to identify individual and institutional responsibilities and recommend possible legislative, administrative, disciplinary, civil, financial and criminal action.
On the allegation that Gbajabiamila authorised or participated in the purported PFIPC, however, the committee’s preliminary position was clear: it found no evidence establishing such involvement and instead documented actions by the Chief of Staff aimed at triggering investigations into the purported organisation.
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