Atiku Demands Tinubu Expose Those Responsible for PFIPC Controversy

African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has issued a challenge to President Bola Tinubu, urging him to reveal the identities of government officials implicated in the controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.

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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission's interim report, according to Atiku, does not clear the presidency of wrongdoing, but rather raises new questions about the alleged involvement of government officials in the scandal.

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Atiku's Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, released a statement on Friday, in which the former Vice President questioned how an impostor was able to operate within official circles, gain access to government facilities, and establish accounts in the name of fictitious government agencies.

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Atiku queried the government's claim that the State House system was above board, asking "If there was connivance, who connived? If public officers were negligent, who are they? Who granted access to government offices? Who recognised this supposed director-general? Who enabled him to operate within the machinery of government?"

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The ADC presidential candidate argued that the reported findings undermine any attempt to portray the scandal as the isolated work of a lone fraudster, Adeniyi Adeyemi, who allegedly forged a presidential appointment letter and created a fictitious federal agency.

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Adeyemi's scheme also involved the appropriation of offices and instruments previously associated with the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, the opening of bank accounts using forged legislative instruments, and the creation of two additional fictitious government agencies.

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President Tinubu had ordered the ICPC to conduct a 30-day investigation into the PFIPC scandal on July 7, 2026, following weeks of public controversy, and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, appeared before the ICPC on July 20 to volunteer information.

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Gbajabiamila has since filed a N15bn defamation suit against Adeyemi over the allegations, while Adeyemi is facing an eight-count criminal charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja, filed by the police in November 2025.

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Adeyemi was rearrested in July after breaching his bail conditions and failing to appear for arraignment, and is expected to appear before the Federal High Court again later this month.

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The House of Representatives has also launched a separate probe into how the fictitious agency secured a N1.3bn allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

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Atiku maintained that such activities could not have been accomplished without failures or assistance from individuals within the government system, stating "A fake agency does not walk into government offices by itself. A forged appointment letter does not validate itself. Bank accounts do not open themselves."

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He challenged President Tinubu to name the individuals behind the alleged fraud, saying "Behind every door that opened, every process that was bypassed and every official instrument that was accessed was a human being. Name them."

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The reported recommendation for sanctions against public officers whose negligence allegedly facilitated the operation further demonstrates the need for the identities and roles of those officials to be made public, according to Atiku.

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Atiku accused the presidency of attempting to use the interim nature of the ICPC report to shield officials whose actions might have enabled the alleged fraud, stating "What the ICPC Interim Report has done, in the main, is to shield the identities of shadow operatives within the presidency who allegedly connived to enable the fraud."

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He argued that an interim investigative report cannot be treated as a final declaration that the presidency has been cleared, particularly while investigations into possible collaborators and related bank accounts are continuing.

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Atiku renewed his call for an independent panel of inquiry to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the affair, and also called on the National Assembly to institute a public hearing into the controversy and broadcast the proceedings live.

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His demand followed an invitation reportedly made by Adeyemi to appear before a National Assembly investigation, which Atiku believes presents an opportunity for the government to demonstrate its commitment to transparency.

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Atiku urged the presidency not to obstruct or shield anyone connected with the matter, saying "If the villa is truly clean, it should be the first to welcome live television coverage. Let Nigerians watch, unedited, as the witnesses testify, and the evidence is presented under oath."

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He warned that anything short of an open hearing will deepen public suspicion that influential individuals are being protected, stating "You cannot admit negligence and connivance within government and simultaneously pronounce the system spotless. That is like washing charcoal and expecting white water."