Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has given President Bola Tinubu a seven-day ultimatum to order a transparent, comprehensive, and independent investigation into the controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
Atiku issued the demand on Friday, warning that failure to act would heighten public suspicion that influential figures in government may have benefited from the alleged scam and that job seekers could have been exploited by a racket operating with official protection.
The directive comes amid escalating controversy over the purported agency. The Presidency has described the PFIPC as non-existent and labelled its claimed Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, an impostor currently facing criminal prosecution for forgery and impersonation.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku argued that the issue has moved beyond one individual’s alleged forgery. He criticised the Presidency’s explanation as inadequate and suggested it appears to be an attempt to scapegoat a single person after an internal arrangement soured.
“If the government wants Nigerians to believe that one man single-handedly created an office for himself, secured space in a government facility, held meetings with foreign embassies, visited the EFCC, processed staff salaries through official channels, and operated institutional accounts without any government knowledge, approval, negligence, or collaboration, then that narrative raises more questions than it answers,” the statement said.
Atiku questioned how a supposedly fictitious agency could secure inclusion in the 2026 Appropriation Act with multi-billion naira allocations, obtain approval for recruiting over 300 personnel from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service, and interact with government institutions and foreign missions.
He stressed that budget processes and civil service recruitments involve multiple layers of approval — from ministries and the Budget Office to the National Assembly and presidential assent — and cannot occur by accident.
“The central issue is no longer the conduct of one individual but the institutional processes that allegedly recognised and facilitated the operations of an agency the Presidency insists never existed,” Atiku added.
He called for a full forensic examination of all documents, approvals, and officials involved, stating that only an independent probe can determine the facts and restore public confidence in government institutions, the budgeting process, and the Federal Civil Service.
“The President must order a comprehensive, independent investigation immediately. Anything short of that will amount to complicity by silence,” Atiku warned.
The PFIPC saga has dominated public discussion in recent days, with conflicting claims between the Presidency and Adeyemi, who maintains his appointment was legitimate and possesses valid official documents.
The matter is also before the Federal High Court in Abuja. This latest intervention from Atiku adds significant political pressure on the Tinubu administration to address growing questions about transparency and accountability in the handling of the scandal.
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