Atiku gives Tinubu 7 days to probe PFIPC scandal

Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Atiku Abubakar, has given President Bola Tinubu a seven-day ultimatum to order what he described as a transparent, comprehensive and independent investigation into the controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC.

Mr Atiku warned that failure to launch such an investigation within the period would deepen public suspicion that influential individuals within government may have benefited from the alleged fraud.

The former vice president made the demand in a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.

According to him, recent developments have elevated the controversy beyond allegations of forgery or impersonation into what he described as a crisis of institutional credibility.

Mr Atiku argued that the key issue was no longer whether an individual forged official documents, but how government institutions allegedly processed and recognised the activities of an agency that the Presidency has maintained never existed.

He said the explanation offered by the Presidency through the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, had failed to adequately address the issues raised by the controversy.

According to Mr Atiku, it was difficult to reconcile the government’s position with reports that the alleged agency operated from a government office, interacted with foreign diplomatic missions, met with officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, processed salaries and allegedly maintained institutional financial accounts.

“If the government wants Nigerians to believe that one man single-handedly created an office for himself, secured office space within a government facility, held meetings with foreign embassy delegations, paid courtesy visits to the EFCC, processed staff salaries through official channels and carried out all these activities without the knowledge or negligence of anyone in government, then that explanation raises even more troubling questions,” he said.

The former vice president maintained that if Adeniyi Adeyemi was found to have committed fraud, he should face the law, but insisted that government institutions that allegedly enabled or failed to detect the activities must also be investigated.

He argued that the personal history or alleged conduct of the suspect could not explain how official government processes were reportedly navigated.

Mr Atiku questioned whether an individual’s actions alone could account for alleged budgetary allocations, office accommodation within government facilities, official engagements with foreign delegations and public officials, as well as the operation of institutional financial channels.

He said attention should now shift from the conduct of one individual to the institutional systems that may have enabled the alleged activities.

The ADC presidential candidate also referred to reports that the PFIPC appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act with a multi-billion naira allocation and that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation allegedly approved the recruitment of more than 300 personnel into the agency.

According to him, such reports, if accurate, indicate failures within the budgeting and public service administration systems.

He noted that budget preparation and recruitment into the Federal Civil Service involve multiple stages, including approvals by ministries, departments and agencies, the Budget Office, the National Assembly and the Presidency.

“It stretches credibility beyond reasonable limits to suggest that an agency described as entirely fictitious could appear in official budget documents, reportedly obtain recruitment approval for hundreds of personnel, secure official office space, interact with state institutions and foreign missions, and yet have no enablers within government,” he stated.

Atiku further said recent public comments by Adeyemi, in which he reportedly denied wrongdoing and alleged attempts by powerful individuals to silence him, had made an independent investigation even more necessary.

He maintained that the truth of those claims should not be determined through official press statements but through a credible investigative process.

According to him, an independent inquiry should examine all relevant documents, approvals and institutional processes, identify every official connected with the matter and determine whether any public officers failed in their responsibilities.

He argued that the controversy now affects the credibility of Nigeria’s budgeting process, the integrity of the Federal Civil Service, the effectiveness of institutional oversight and the Presidency’s ability to account for activities carried out in its name.

Atiku therefore urged President Tinubu to immediately establish an independent panel to investigate the matter and make its findings public, warning that anything short of such action would reinforce public perceptions of official complicity.

The Presidency has consistently maintained that the PFIPC was never a recognised Federal Government agency and has described those behind its operations as fraudsters who falsely claimed official status.