The Senate has declined to initiate a new parliamentary investigation into the controversial N1.3 billion budgetary allocation to the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC). Instead, the upper chamber has resolved to await the findings of an ongoing probe by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) ordered by President Bola Tinubu.
The decision was reached on Wednesday after Senator Kawu Sumaila (Kano South) attempted to move a motion for an urgent legislative inquiry into how a non-existent agency secured a significant appropriation in the 2026 budget.
The Controversy
The PFIPC has been at the center of a national scandal after it was discovered that the entity, which the Presidency has publicly disowned, was allocated N1,302,978,000 under budget code 0111062001 in the 2026 Appropriation Act. The allocation reportedly includes:
- Over N800 million for personnel costs.
- Over N200 million for overheads.
- Over N300 million for capital expenditure.
Senator Sumaila argued that the inclusion of this “fictitious” agency in the national budget not only raises questions about the integrity of the budget preparation process but also casts doubt on the efficiency of the National Assembly’s oversight functions. He called for a thorough probe by relevant committees to uncover how the funding was justified and approved.
Senate Leadership Stance
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary, interjected during the presentation, noting that a substantive motion was required for such an investigation. He further emphasized that the Executive had already taken decisive action by directing the ICPC to conduct a comprehensive probe into the matter.
“I believe that what we need to do at this stage is to have the report of the ICPC, and then we can act on that report and deal with it as we feel appropriate,” Jibrin stated.
Background to the Scandal
The Presidency has repeatedly insisted that the PFIPC was never established by the Federal Government and lacks any legal basis. The controversy centers on one Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who identified himself as the Director-General of the council and allegedly claimed to be a presidential appointee.
In response to the escalating situation, President Tinubu mandated the ICPC to submit a detailed report within 30 days. The anti-graft agency’s mandate includes investigating:
- The use of forged appointment letters and official government documents.
- How the fictitious council acquired an appearance of official legitimacy.
- The opening of multiple bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies.
- The broader circumstances that allowed the agency to bypass institutional scrutiny.
Mounting Pressure
The scandal has also drawn the attention of civil society. The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) recently issued a Freedom of Information request to the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, demanding documentation on how the allocation was approved and calling for accountability from those involved in the legislative process.
While the Senate currently awaits the ICPC’s findings, the mystery surrounding how a “non-existent” body managed to navigate the complex budget appropriation process remains a primary point of contention in the halls of the National Assembly.
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