PFIPC: Atiku demands probe into N6.44bn failed World Cup qualification

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for an independent investigation into the controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, PFIPC, alleging that the Federal Government was attempting to cover up the scandal and divert attention from officials who should account for the agency’s operations.

The statement was signed by Mr Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.

According to the statement, Mr Atiku also questioned the inclusion of a N6.44 billion budgetary provision for a “Special Presidential Support Group for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers” in the 2026 Appropriation Act, despite Nigeria’s elimination from the qualification race months before the budget was presented to the National Assembly.

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate said the recent arrest of the self-acclaimed Director-General of the PFIPC, Adeniyi Adeyemi, should not divert attention from what he described as the larger questions surrounding the operations of the organisation.

He alleged that the arrest was aimed at extracting statements that could implicate opposition figures instead of uncovering the full circumstances behind the controversy.

Mr Atiku argued that the major issue was how an organisation now described by the Presidency as non-existent allegedly gained access to top government institutions, secured diplomatic recognition, recruited more than 300 personnel, operated from office accommodation at the National Secretariat and reportedly received public funding, including an alleged N1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 budget.

“The scandal is not merely that one man allegedly impersonated public authority. The greater scandal is that the Tinubu administration allegedly opened the doors of the Nigerian state to him, allowed him to acquire the appearance and privileges of official legitimacy and permitted him to interact with institutions and diplomatic interests in the name of the Federal Government,” Mr Atiku said.

The former vice president further linked the PFIPC controversy to what he described as questionable provisions in the 2026 federal budget, particularly the N6.44 billion earmarked for a “Special Presidential Support Group for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.”

He argued that the allocation raised serious questions because Nigeria had already been eliminated from the qualification campaign in November 2025, before the 2026 budget was submitted to the National Assembly.

“How does a serious government budget N6.44 billion for presidential support for World Cup qualifiers after the country had already been eliminated? What competition was the money intended to support? Who inserted the provision, who approved it and who was expected to benefit from an expenditure whose stated purpose had already ceased to exist?” he queried.

According to Mr Atiku, the allocation reinforced public concerns about the integrity of the budgeting process and suggested that the national budget had become a vehicle for wasteful and questionable expenditures.

He noted that Adeyemi was facing allegations of forgery, impersonation and obtaining money under false pretences, adding that the suspect had also alleged that he paid about N400 million in bribes to secure the position and mentioned senior government officials, including the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila.

The former vice president, however, stressed that the allegations remained unproven and required an independent, transparent and impartial investigation.

Mr Atiku described the PFIPC controversy as damaging to Nigeria’s international image and warned against any attempt to suppress the facts or shift responsibility to political opponents.

He faulted the decision to assign the investigation to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, arguing that the probe would not inspire public confidence because senior government officials had allegedly been mentioned in the matter.

“The probe ordered by President Tinubu and assigned to the ICPC is insufficient, self-serving and incapable of inspiring public confidence in the government’s claim of innocence,” he said.

Mr Atiku called on the National Assembly to constitute an independent bipartisan panel to investigate every aspect of the PFIPC scandal, including how the organisation allegedly secured government recognition, office accommodation, diplomatic accreditation and budgetary allocations.

He also urged the Nigerian Bar Association, civil society organisations and the diplomatic community to resist what he described as any attempt to manipulate the investigation, insisting that Nigerians deserved full disclosure of everyone involved in the controversy.