The faction of the Peoples Democratic Party led by Kabiru Turaki has called on President Bola Tinubu to order a forensic investigation into the controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, urging the suspension of officials linked to the matter pending the outcome of the probe.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the faction described the controversy as a serious indication of institutional failure under the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government.
The dispute centres on the embattled Director General of the PFIPC, Mathew Adeniyi Adeyemi, and the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, over the legitimacy of the council and Adeyemi’s appointment.
The controversy began on June 11 after Gbajabiamila publicly disowned Adeyemi’s appointment as head of the council. Adeyemi rejected the disclaimer and called on the President to establish an independent panel to investigate the matter.
The Presidency later backed Gbajabiamila, accusing Adeyemi of forging an appointment letter and falsely presenting himself as a presidential appointee.
Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, also disclosed that the Nigeria Police had filed an eight count criminal charge against Adeyemi over the allegations.
Adeyemi, however, maintained that the disagreement stemmed from his refusal to surrender 48 per cent of the agency’s take off grant. He further alleged that he paid N400m to secure the appointment and still had an outstanding balance of N200m.
The PDP faction said the conflicting claims had raised serious concerns over the operations of government institutions, questioning how an alleged impostor could secure office space within a government facility, receive budgetary allocations, operate accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria and interact with agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
According to the party, whether the Presidency’s account or Adeyemi’s claims prove to be true, the situation reflects either a major security lapse or a case of entrenched corruption within government.
The faction accused the Federal Government of attempting to downplay the controversy instead of taking decisive steps to establish the facts.
It urged Tinubu to order an independent forensic investigation by a reputable international firm, suspend all key officials connected with the matter, reorganise the Presidency to prevent a recurrence and apologise to Nigerians.
The party added that Nigerians deserved full accountability, warning that failure to address the controversy transparently could further weaken public confidence in the government.
