ABUJA: A major integrity crisis has emerged within the presidency following the Federal Government's decision to file an eight-count criminal charge against Adeniyi Adeyemi, the convener of the disputed Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC). The legal action, initiated by the Nigeria Police Force at the Federal High Court in Abuja, accuses Adeyemi of forgery, impersonation, and illegally soliciting diplomatic documentation.

The presidency has firmly distanced itself from the operation. Presidential Spokesperson Bayo Onanuga disclosed that Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila raised alarms regarding the council after discovering that forged appointment letters, bearing fake official seals and signatures, were being utilized to legitimize the entity. According to the executive, the agency is entirely fictitious and has never been recognized by the current administration.

Budgetary Inconsistencies Raise Institutional Questions

Despite the presidency's outright denial of the council's existence, investigations into official state documents have revealed significant bureaucratic contradictions.

• Financial Allocation: The approved national budget contains a designated allocation of ₦1.302 billion for the disputed council.

• Line Item Breakdown: The appropriation details ₦802.9 million for personnel costs, ₦200 million for overhead expenses, and ₦300 million earmarked for capital expenditure.

• Banking infrastructure: The entity successfully established multiple official accounts, including foreign currency and Treasury Single Account (TSA) links, directly within the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Defending his position, Adeyemi maintains that his appointment was legitimate and directly facilitated through the office of the Chief of Staff. He has questioned how a completely non-existent entity could successfully bypass multiple layers of federal vetting to secure definitive line-item funding within the national budget. Adeyemi expressed complete willingness to test the validity of his documentation before the court.

Opposition Leaders Demand Accountability

The scandal has drawn sharp criticism from opposition leaders, who argue the development indicates a severe breakdown in state oversight. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar described the scenario as a systemic failure, noting that a private citizen could not have embedded a phantom agency into the federal budget, secured central bank infrastructure, and engaged with foreign diplomats without significant internal cooperation.

Critics are now calling for a comprehensive investigation into the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, the National Assembly, and the Central Bank of Nigeria to determine how the unauthorized agency obtained state funding and official clearance. Adeyemi and his co-defendants are scheduled to be formally arraigned in court on July 27.