​Presidency and Adeyemi Clash Over “Fake” Agency Scandal

​ABUJA — The controversy surrounding the “Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council” (PFIPC) has reached a fever pitch, with the Presidency and the accused Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, locked in an escalating war of words. As legal proceedings against Adeyemi approach a July 27 hearing, the embattled claimant has launched a series of explosive allegations against the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.

​The Allegations

​During a press conference held on June 25, 2026, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi denied all charges of forgery and impersonation. He accused the Chief of Staff of orchestrating a campaign of intimidation to “silence” him, claiming that the fundamental disagreement between them stemmed from his refusal to hand over 48% of the agency’s purported ₦27.4 billion take-off grant to Mr. Gbajabiamila.

​Adeyemi further alleged that the Chief of Staff had previously received ₦400 million by proxy to secure his appointment and was demanding an additional ₦200 million. He called for an independent investigative panel to probe these claims, as well as the mysterious death of his alleged intermediary, Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, who died in an Abuja hotel fire last October—just five days after the police commenced their investigation into the forgery allegations.

​The Presidency’s Rebuttal

​The Presidency has dismissed these accusations as the desperate fabrications of a “con artist.” In a statement released by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the administration reiterated that the PFIPC and the “Presidential Economic Advisory Council” (PEAC) are entirely fictitious.

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​According to the Presidency, the scandal first came to light in October 2025 when the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission flagged the agency for operating at cross-purposes with official bodies. Subsequent investigations by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force reportedly uncovered:

• ​Massive Forgery: The use of falsified signatures, official seals, and letterheads to create non-existent government appointments.
• ​Financial Fraud: The operation of 34 bank accounts, nine of which were opened in the names of fictitious agencies, and the fraudulent opening of a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account by allegedly misleading the Office of the Accountant-General.
• ​Diplomatic Deception: Efforts by Adeyemi to solicit Note Verbales from the Foreign Affairs Ministry to facilitate visa applications for his “staff.”

​Judicial Standing

​Prince Adeyemi is currently facing an eight-count charge of forgery, impersonation, and obtaining by false pretence at the Federal High Court in Abuja. While Adeyemi insists he is “ready to face the law” and allow the court to vindicate him, the Presidency maintains that his recent claims are a tactical diversion from a long history of fraudulent misrepresentation, noting that he previously made similar false claims regarding a UN-affiliated youth body in 2016.

​As public interest intensifies, human rights lawyer Femi Falana has called for an independent investigation into both parties to ensure complete transparency, stressing that the Presidency cannot serve as the sole arbiter in a matter involving its own Chief of Staff. For now, all eyes remain on the July 27 court date, where the legitimacy of the “Council” and the validity of these high-stakes corruption allegations are expected to be put to the test.