By BONIFACE AKARAH

The Presidency has defended the Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, against allegations linking him to the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), insisting he was the first government official to alert security agencies about the activities of what it described as a fictitious organisation.

The clarification came in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who said Gbajabiamila petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force in October 2025 to investigate alleged fraudsters forging appointment letters from his office and impersonating government officials.

According to the Presidency, the Chief of Staff acted after officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission complained that another body claiming to represent the Federal Government was operating at cross-purposes with the commission.

“The attention of this office has been drawn to the activities of certain individuals and groups engaged in the forgery of official appointment letters purportedly issued from my office,” Gbajabiamila stated in the petition to security agencies.

The petition alleged that the forged documents were being used to appoint officials into non-existent government bodies, particularly the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, with one Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew allegedly parading himself as its Director-General from an office at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja.

Gbajabiamila further warned investigators that the activities of the alleged impostors threatened the integrity of the Presidency.

“The above development not only constitutes a serious criminal act but also undermines the integrity of the Presidency and the credibility of official government communication,” he said while urging security agencies to identify and prosecute those involved.

The Presidency said copies of the alleged forged appointment letter, requests for diplomatic assistance sent to the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and photographs obtained from the group’s website accompanied the petition.

Onanuga disclosed that the Foreign Affairs Ministry had separately raised concerns after Adeyemi allegedly held a meeting with foreign ambassadors at the Wells Carlton Hotel in Abuja without the ministry’s knowledge or approval.

The ministry reportedly described the action as contrary to established diplomatic practice and sought clarification from both the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Chief of Staff.

According to the statement, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation later requested clarification after receiving enquiries from government and non-governmental organisations regarding the status of the council.

Responding, Gbajabiamila categorically denied any relationship with Adeyemi or the council.

“Prince Adeniyi Matthew, Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, is unknown to any office, nor do we have any dealings with the said council," the Chief of Staff stated.

He also maintained that his office could not have issued an appointment letter to a non-existent agency, stressing that appointments into federal offices are the responsibility of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The Presidency said police investigators arrested Adeyemi on October 27, 2025, at the Abuja office where he allegedly operated and recovered several documents during searches of the premises and his residence in Suleja.

According to the statement, investigators established that the council was fictitious, the appointment letter was forged, and Adeyemi falsely presented himself as a presidential appointee while seeking diplomatic privileges, including visa facilitation for himself and his associates.

Police also reportedly discovered that Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, including several allegedly opened in the names of fictitious government agencies, and fraudulently secured a Central Bank of Nigeria account through documents submitted to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

“The act of the suspect constitutes criminal forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence, thereby bringing the office of the Chief of Staff to the President and the Presidency to disrepute before the public and international community,” the police investigation report, quoted by the Presidency, stated.

The statement added that investigators found no evidence that government funds had been paid into the account allegedly opened by Adeyemi.

Following the investigation, the police filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi and two alleged accomplices before the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 27, 2025. The case is scheduled for hearing on July 27.

The Presidency said Adeyemi’s recent allegation that Gbajabiamila appointed him contradicted the statement he earlier made to investigators, prompting another public disclaimer from the Chief of Staff’s office.

Onanuga further described Adeyemi as a serial impostor, recalling that he allegedly claimed in 2016 to have become President-General of the World Youth Organisation, which he falsely presented as a United Nations affiliate before the claim was disowned.

He urged politicians and members of the public to refrain from drawing conclusions ahead of the court proceedings.

“Politicians and members of the public who are weaponising Adeyemi’s claim against the Chief of Staff should refrain from swallowing his narrative hook, line and sinker,” Onanuga said, adding that the matter is already before the court and should be allowed to run its legal course.