Fake PFIPC: Gbajabiamila Denies Knowing Adeyemi

0

…Threatens Him With N10bn Suit Over Murder, Bribery Claims

Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has threat­ened a N10 billion defamation suit against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi over allegations link­ing him to murder, bribery and other criminal conduct.

Gbajabiamila said he has never at any time met, interact­ed with, communicated with, or had any form of personal or official dealing whatsoever with Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi.

In a letter dated July 6, 2026, and signed by ‘Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, for Pinheiro LP, lawyers of the Chief of Staff, this followed a June 25 press conference at which Adeyemi, who is facing criminal charges over his alleged role in operating the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promo­tion Council (PFIPC), which the presidency describes as a ficti­tious agency, accused the Chief of Staff of demanding a share of the council’s alleged take-off grant, receiving money through proxies, abusing his office and participating in a criminal cov­er-up.

Adeyemi also described Gba­jabiamila as “a murderer” and “an assassin” during the brief­ing.

The letter demanded that Ad­eyemi take down all materials, including transcripts, videos and recordings, from all platforms, publish a full retraction and apology in at least five national newspapers and across all so­cial media platforms through which the press conference was disseminated, and provide a written undertaking to refrain from further publications about Gbajabiamila.

The letter was directed at Adeyemi, who has been listed at the Federal High Court, Abu­ja, in Charge No: FHC/ABJ/ CR/652/2026, FRN v. Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew & Ors, on allegations of forgery, including forging an appoint­ment letter bearing Gbajabi­amila’s purported signature and counterfeiting Presidential Letter-Head to fraudulently pass himself off as a government of­ficial.

The letter listed nine allega­tions from the press conference in which Adeyemi, who had claimed to be the Director-Gen­eral of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Coun­cil, a body the presidency has described as fictitious, accused Gbajabiamila of demanding 48 percent of the council’s alleged N27.4 billion take-off grant, equivalent to roughly N12.5 bil­lion, and of receiving N400 mil­lion through proxies in connec­tion with appointments linked to the entity.

Adeyemi also alleged that Gbajabiamila abused his office to intimidate individuals and media organisations, knowingly participated in fraudulent bud­get processes, sought to misuse security agencies, and may have discharged his official duties un­der the influence of intoxicating substances.

The lawyer described all nine allegations as “not only false but gravely defamatory,” saying they were “designed to portray our client as corrupt, dishonest, criminally culpable, morally bankrupt, administratively in­competent, a murderer and unfit to occupy public office.”

In the letter, Gbajabiamila argued that he has never had any contact whatsoever with Adeyemi.

“You have never at any time met, interacted with, commu­nicated with, or had any form of personal or official dealing whatsoever with him,” the law­yers wrote on behalf of the Chief of Staff to the President, adding that the decision to “fabricate and publish allegations against a person with whom you have had absolutely no relationship or interaction underscores the reckless, baseless and malicious nature of your publication.”

The letter also cited the active criminal proceedings as an ag­gravating circumstance.

“It is even more disturbing to our client that you resorted to defaming him through your press statements after a criminal charge had been filed against you,” it stated, noting that the June 25 press conference allega­tions directly touch on the counts already before the court.

“Trial by media remains unknown to Nigerian law and cannot be a substitute for due process,” the lawyers added.

The lawyers gave a 72-hour compliance window from the time of receipt of the letter.

They asked Adeyemi to stop making further defamatory statements, take down all mate­rials, including transcripts, vid­eos and recordings from all plat­forms, publish a full retraction and apology in at least five na­tional newspapers and across all social media platforms through which the press conference was disseminated, and provide a written undertaking to refrain from further publications about Gbajabiamila.

Failure to comply, the letter warned, would trigger both criminal defamation proceed­ings under FCT law and a civil suit seeking N10 billion in aggra­vated and exemplary damages, to be paid to a charity of Gba­jabiamila’s choice, alongside a perpetual injunction and a court order compelling the apology.

The PFIPC was listed in the 2026 Appropriation Act as the Presidential Economic Adviso­ry Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and received over N1.3 billion in budget allocations, including approximately N803 million for personnel costs, N200 million for overhead and N300 million for capital expenditure.

Adeyemi argued at the June 25 press conference that an agen­cy appearing on pages 50 and 51 of a presidential-assented appro­priation bill could not be truly non-existent.

However, the presidency in­sists the agency is fraudulent and does not exist.

Adeyemi is due to appear in court on July 27, 2026.