The controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has intensified after the Senate declined to immediately investigate how the non-existent agency secured a ₦1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 budget, opting instead to await the outcome of an ongoing ICPC investigation ordered by President Bola Tinubu.
The motion, sponsored by Senator Kawu Sumaila (APC, Kano South), sought a legislative probe into the inclusion of the PFIPC in the 2026 Appropriation Act despite the Presidency insisting the agency was never legally created.
After the motion was rejected, Sumaila declared, “I am not afraid of suspension. I can live without the Senate,” vowing to continue pushing for accountability over what he described as a serious breach of the budget process.
Meanwhile, Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims to head the PFIPC but has been charged by police with forgery and impersonation, has made fresh allegations while insisting he did not forge government documents.
He claimed he borrowed ₦400 million in pursuit of the appointment and said some of those he owes have already petitioned the EFCC.
“I borrowed the money [N400 million] for this appointment. In fact, those that I borrowed from have reported to the EFCC.”
Adeyemi has also pledged to submit documents to investigators as he prepares to defend himself in court. Police are prosecuting him over alleged forgery, impersonation and operating the fictitious agency from the Federal Secretariat in Abuja.
The scandal has sparked nationwide concern over how a “ghost” agency allegedly found its way into the national budget, with the House of Representatives moving ahead with its own inquiry while the Senate awaits the ICPC’s findings. The Presidency maintains that the PFIPC was created using forged documents and has promised a full investigation into everyone involved.
