Fake agency scandal: NDC asks Tinubu to sack Gbajabiamila

The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has called on President Bola Tinubu to sack his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, over alleged corruption and his purported links to the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC, which the Presidency has described as a fictitious agency.

In a statement issued on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, the opposition party said the allegations surrounding the purported agency, if proven, raise serious questions about transparency, accountability and the integrity of the Tinubu administration.

“The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has been alarmed by the damning allegations of corruption involving the Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, and one Prince Mathew Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims to be the Director-General of the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC),” the statement read.

The party alleged that the non-existent agency “was allegedly used to siphon public funds, with the active collusion and facilitation of the Chief of Staff, Gbajabiamila.”

According to the NDC, the allegations made by Adeyemi suggest that the PFIPC received allocations in the 2026 national budget and opened several accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, despite the Presidency’s insistence that no such agency exists.

“According to the allegations by Prince Adeyemi, the PFIPC received budgetary allocations in the 2026 budget and successfully opened a domiciliary account, a pound sterling account and a Treasury Single Account (TSA), all domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria,” the statement said.

The party described the claims as deeply troubling, questioning how an agency the Presidency says does not exist could allegedly open multiple high-level financial accounts with the apex bank.

“For an individual to open a domiciliary account, stringent documentation is required. How then was a fictitious agency able to open such accounts without the necessary documentation?” it asked.

The NDC also questioned the role of key government institutions in the alleged scandal.

“Did the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation knowingly process forged documents? The Presidency owes Nigerians an urgent clarification on this matter,” the statement added.

The party further expressed concern over claims that the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation approved 314 staff positions for the alleged agency.

“The NDC wonders how such a significant administrative action could occur without the knowledge of the Presidency and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Is the Tinubu administration so clueless and incompetent that major decisions bypass its principal officers?” it queried.

The opposition party also referenced allegations that Gbajabiamila demanded 48 per cent of the agency’s take-off grant, estimated at ₦27.4 billion, a request it claimed Adeyemi rejected.

“More grievous is the allegation that the Chief of Staff demanded 48 per cent of the agency’s take-off grant amounting to ₦27,395,510,136, a request Prince Adeyemi reportedly rejected, which invariably resulted in a public spat,” the statement said.

The NDC argued that the allegations point to what it described as a disturbing pattern of institutionalised corruption.

“These are not mere allegations; they point to a disturbing pattern of institutionalised corruption, including the alleged sale of appointments to the highest bidders, a notorious trademark of the Tinubu administration,” the party stated.

It added that the scandal reinforces its belief that the current administration has entrenched corruption as a system of governance.

The party also raised concerns over the death of Babatunde Tanimola, whom it described as an intermediary between Adeyemi and the Chief of Staff.

According to the statement, Tanimola reportedly died in a fire incident at a hotel in Utako, Abuja, on October 22, 2025, a day after the Chief of Staff’s petition was said to have been received by the police.

The NDC urged President Tinubu to immediately relieve Gbajabiamila of his duties to allow for what it described as an independent and transparent investigation into the allegations.

It maintained that only a thorough probe would restore public confidence in the administration and ensure accountability.