THE African Democratic Congress (ADC) has expressed deep concerns over the raging scandal in relation to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) and the sundry allegations of bribe taking involving the President’s chief of staff, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamiala.

ADC said the issues involved point directly at the heart of national governance and raise fundamental questions about institutional integrity and must therefore be treated with the seriousness it deserves.

The party pointed out that the statement from the presidency on the scandal only threatens to conclusively rubbish any claim that the government has had to any form of integrity.

The opposition maintained that Mr Bayo Onanuga’s statement did not than provide answers to the raging questions on the scandal, Instead left more questions if anything, it actually exposed a staggering depth of institutional decay under the APC-led administration of President Bola Tinubu, suggesting that under his watch, the presidency may have become a nest of fraudsters.

The ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolajj Abdullahi said : “Focussing on exonerating the key government official at the heart of the scandal, who incidentally has been serially dogged by similar allegations in the past, without addressing how this level of criminality was even possible in the first place, confirms that the administration is either complicit or incompetent.

“By the Presidency’s own account, a body it now describes as “fictitious” allegedly managed to operate across multiple arms of the APC-led federal government, interfacing with ministries, corresponding with public institutions, engaging foreign diplomats, obtaining official recognition from various quarters, and leaving behind a trail that raises serious questions about governance, accountability, and national security. This is no longer a matter involving one individual. It is a matter that goes to the heart of the security and integrity of the Nigerian state under the Tinubu government.

“Based on the Presidency’s own statement, and the documentary evidence already in the public domain, we have identified at least ten government institutions that must be investigated if we must unravel the mystery behind this major scandal that in saner climes would have ended so many people’s political careers already:

“The Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila: To determine how documents bearing the authority of his office were issued and the publicly reported claims of receiving bribes of between N200million and N600million from Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi.

“Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi: To establish the full extent of his role in the creation, operation, and promotion of PFIPC; to verify the authenticity of the documents and approvals he publicly relied upon; to investigate his claims of making payments to senior government officials; and to determine whether he acted alone or as part of a wider network involving public officials and private actors.

“The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume: To establish whether any approvals, recognitions, or official records existed in relation to PFIPC in his office.

“The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack: To determine whether she actually gave approval of a recruitment waiver for over 300 civil servants into an organisation the Presidency now says never existed.

“The Director General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Mr. Tanimu Yakubu: To explain how PFIPC reportedly appeared in the 2026 Appropriation with a budget running into billions of Naira.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs: To determine the extent of PFIPC’s engagements with foreign diplomats and whether established diplomatic protocols were subverted or bypassed altogether.

“The Office of the National Security Adviser: To establish how what the president was alleging was even possible and why his office was not able to flag it or take action.

” The Department of State Services, DSS, and the Nigeria Police Force: To explain the timeline of their investigations, if any, and whether earlier intervention could have prevented the alleged activities.

“The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, and the Central Bank of Nigeria: To determine how public funds could be drawn and expended by a fictitious organisation using allegedly forged documents.

“The relevant oversight committees of the National Assembly, including the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, and the House of Representatives Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements: To establish the basis upon which official correspondence and invitations were reportedly extended to PFIPC.

“This matter must not be swept under the Presidential red carpet. The ADC therefore calls for the immediate establishment of an independent Judicial Panel of Inquiry headed by persons of unquestionable integrity, to investigate every aspect of the PFIPC affair, summoning all the foregoing, as well as others that may be relevant to the cases, as witnesses. The panel should have full powers to compel the production of documents, and determine the extent of any negligence, misconduct, collusion, abuse of office, and criminal wrongdoing involved in this case.”

The stated that, “as the Presidency has alleged, if indeed the PFIPC was a fictitious organisation, then Nigerians deserve to know how a fictitious organisation allegedly secured recruitment approvals, budgetary allocations, official correspondence, diplomatic engagements, interactions with federal institutions, and recognition across multiple arms of government.

Similarly, if contrary to the Presidency’s position, the PFIPC is not a fictitious organisation, then Nigerians deserve to know why the government has decided to publicly disown a legitimate agency of government as way of defending one of its official on the serious allegations of bribery.

“These are serious questions that cannot be answered by press statements, selective denials, or criminal prosecutions alone. Only a truly Independent judicial inquiry can establish the facts, identify those responsible, and restore public confidence in the integrity of our institutions.

“The damage that this scandal has done to the integrity of our public institutions is indeed incalculable. We imagine that when next a government agency engages with the international diplomatic communities, serious questions must be lurking at the back of their minds whether the government would wake up tomorrow and deny that such agencies actually exist.

“Since coming to office, the Tinubu-led APC administration has done everything to bring the country down to its moral and ethical level. But this appears to be the height of it. We therefore call on all citizens to demand that the Tinubu government must not be allowed to get away with this. This country will continue to exist beyond the lifespan of any administration, but the country may never recover from the damage they do to today.

“Lastly, Nigerians have noted that it is instructive that in the case involving the allegations against former Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the government had no hesitation in deploying agencies such as the ICPC, the DSS, and the EFCC. Yet, in a matter involving serious allegations concerning the Chief of Staff to the President, the same government has not deemed it necessary even to ask Femi Gbajabiamila to step aside pending an independent investigation.”

According to the ADC, the scandal is a glaring double standard that undermines public confidence and reinforces the perception that there is one standard of accountability for political opponents, and another for those within the inner circle of power.

“In this regard, the ADC therefore calls on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately constitute an independent Judicial Commission of Inquiry, chaired by eminent and independent Nigerians, to uncover the full truth behind the PFIPC scandal.

Anything short of a transparent, public, and independent inquiry will only reinforce the long-held public perception that this administration is unwilling to confront allegations of corruption involving powerful public office holders.

“Let there be no mistake, if this administration refuses to act, or chooses to bury this scandal instead of exposing the truth, the ADC will make the PFIPC scandal one of the very first accountability priorities of an ADC-led government. Today, we put every public official connected to this affair on notice, no matter how highly placed or politically connected.

Every approval, every budgetary allocation, every official correspondence, every financial transaction, and every public officer connected to this scandal will be subjected to the highest level of scrutiny.

Those found to have abused public office, violated the law, or enriched themselves at the expense of the Nigerian people will be pursued to the full extent of the law.

There will be no sacred cows, no untouchables, and no hiding place for corruption.”. (The Guardian)