Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has been cleared by the House of Representatives committee probing the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC.
The House Ad Hoc Committee said its preliminary investigation found no evidence that Gbajabiamila created, approved or participated in the activities of the organisation.
Instead, the committee said documents and testimonies before it showed that the Chief of Staff took steps to alert relevant security and investigative agencies after concerns were raised about the purported council.
The committee is chaired by Yusuf Adamu Gagdi.
Its preliminary report was presented on Wednesday as lawmakers continued their investigation into how PFIPC operated and how it came to be associated with the Federal Government.
The probe followed controversy over the appearance of the organisation in the 2026 budget framework despite questions over its legal status and existence.
The lawmakers said their findings were based on oral testimonies, official documents, financial records and information obtained from government institutions and other parties connected to the matter.
According to the committee, there is no valid law of the National Assembly or presidential instrument establishing PFIPC as a federal government agency.
The committee also examined an appointment letter allegedly used by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi to present himself as the Director-General of the organisation.
The document was purportedly linked to the Office of the Chief of Staff and carried what was presented as Gbajabiamila’s authority.
The committee, however, said its checks with the State House showed otherwise.
It found that the appointment was neither made nor approved by the Presidency.
“The documentary evidence presently before the Committee does not establish that the Chief of Staff authorised, approved, established or participated in the activities of the purported organisation.”
The lawmakers said they also found no evidence that Gbajabiamila signed the appointment letter.
They further raised questions about the authenticity of the letterhead, reference number, language and administrative format used on the document.
“The Committee therefore preliminarily finds that the purported appointment letter was fabricated and falsely attributed to the Presidency.”
The latest finding is consistent with an earlier statement issued by Gbajabiamila in June, when he publicly disowned PFIPC and denied appointing Adeyemi.
At the time, the Chief of Staff warned the public and foreign organisations against dealing with the group as a recognised government institution.
The committee said the evidence available to it showed that Gbajabiamila did not support the activities of the organisation.
Rather, it said he moved to trigger investigations after receiving information about alleged fraudulent activities linked to PFIPC.
According to the lawmakers, an alert from the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, NIPC, raised concerns about the activities of the organisation and the alleged misuse of government identity.
The committee said the Chief of Staff responded by communicating with relevant security and investigative authorities.
Those agencies included the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, DSS, the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The lawmakers said further concerns were also raised over activities connected with a proposed World Investment Summit.
They said additional communications were subsequently issued requesting investigation and appropriate action.
The committee therefore commended the Chief of Staff for what it described as timely action whenever the matter was brought to his attention.
“On the contrary, the evidence demonstrates repeated steps to secure investigation, institutional verification and appropriate administrative action.”
Beyond the issue of Gbajabiamila, the committee said it uncovered what appeared to be a wider attempt to give PFIPC the appearance of a legitimate federal institution.
One of the documents examined was a purported Presidential Executive Order No. 5 dated February 24, 2026.
The document was allegedly presented as the legal instrument that gave PFIPC presidential backing.
The committee said its checks did not support that claim.
“The evidence presently available indicates that the document was not an authentic Executive Order of the President and was neither issued nor approved through the lawful processes of the Presidency.”
The lawmakers described the alleged fabrication of a presidential document as a serious matter.
They said such conduct could undermine confidence in official instruments of the Nigerian government.
The committee also examined a document presented as an Act of the National Assembly establishing PFIPC.
Its preliminary finding was that the purported Act was never validly passed by both chambers of the National Assembly.
It was also not assented to by the President or gazetted as an Act of the Federation, according to the lawmakers.
The committee further alleged that sections of an existing document relating to another institution had been electronically altered or substituted.
The alleged alterations were said to have been made to create the impression that Parliament had legally established PFIPC.
“The Committee considers this aspect of the investigation particularly grave.”
The lawmakers warned that legislative documents could not be altered and presented as genuine enactments of the National Assembly.
“The National Assembly cannot permit its legislative authority to be counterfeited.”
Another document examined by the lawmakers was a letter dated November 7, 2024.
The letter was allegedly written from the State House and addressed to the Accountant-General of the Federation.
It reportedly requested an administrative code for PFIPC.
The letter was purportedly signed by a person identified as Akambi Adewale, described as a Director of Administration and Support Services.
The committee said verification at the State House produced a different picture.
According to the report, the office mentioned in the letter did not exist in the form stated.
The purported directorate was also said not to exist as represented.
The lawmakers further said they found no State House official named Akambi Adewale serving in the claimed position.
“The Committee therefore preliminarily finds that fictitious names, offices and official designations were deployed in a document calculated to mislead an important financial institution of the Federal Government.”
… PFIPC Probe: Reps Clear Tinubu’s Chief of Staff Gbajabiamila of Allegations Read More on … NaijaOnPoint.
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