JUST IN: Presidency debunks bribery allegations against Gbajabiamila, says Adeyemi an impostor

The Presidency has accused Adeniyi Adeyemi, convener of a purported presidential council, of forging an appointment letter and falsely presenting himself as a presidential appointee.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said Adeyemi headed the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council—an agency the Federal Government insists does not exist.

The statement follows recent allegations by Adeyemi that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, demanded a N400 million bribe.

‘Chief of Staff petitioned security agencies’

Onanuga disclosed that Gbajabiamila alerted the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in October 2025 after concerns emerged that the purported agency was operating alongside the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC).

According to him, the Chief of Staff informed security agencies that forged appointment letters bearing his signature, reference numbers, and official seals were being used to legitimise the fictitious body.

“The attention of this office has been drawn to the activities of certain individuals and groups engaged in the forgery of official appointment letters purportedly issued from my office,” the petition reads.

Onanuga stressed that Gbajabiamila could not have appointed Adeyemi, noting that the agency in question does not exist.

He added that appointments into government offices are processed through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), not the Office of the Chief of Staff.

The presidential spokesperson further revealed that Adeyemi was arrested by police in Abuja on October 27, 2025, with forged documents recovered during searches of his office and residence.

Investigations, he said, established that Adeyemi forged his appointment letter, falsely presented himself as a government appointee, and sought a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate the procurement of US visas for himself and members of the purported council.

Onanuga added that police discovered Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, including nine allegedly opened in the names of fictitious agencies.

He also alleged that Adeyemi used forged documents to open a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account after misleading the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, although investigators found no evidence that government funds had been deposited into the account.

‘Case already before court’

The presidential spokesperson stated that the police filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi and two others at the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 27, 2025.

The case is scheduled for hearing on July 27.

Onanuga noted that Adeyemi’s recent claim that Gbajabiamila appointed him as director-general of the purported council contradicts statements he earlier made to the police during investigations.

He urged politicians and members of the public to refrain from relying on Adeyemi’s claims while the matter remains before the court.

“Politicians and members of the public who are weaponising Adeyemi’s claim against the Chief of Staff should refrain from swallowing his narrative hook, line and sinker,” he said.

“They are advised to await the trial of Adeyemi and his accomplices, as well as the court’s judgement, as comments made today are subjudice.”