PFIPC Controversy: Kenneth Okonkwo criticizes National Assembly's investigation, calls for Gbajabiamila to face inquiry

African Democratic Congress chieftain Kenneth Okonkwo has come down hard on the National Assembly for its handling of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council scandal investigation, citing a lack of interrogation of key figures.

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Specifically, Okonkwo pointed to the failure to question President Bola Tinubu's Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the purported Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, Adeniyi Adeyemi, as a glaring omission.

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In a Saturday post on X, the former Nollywood actor slammed the reported conclusion of the investigation without input from Gbajabiamila and Adeyemi, calling it a blatant disregard for the principles of natural justice.

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Okonkwo wrote, "The purported conclusion of investigation of the criminality of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council without interrogating Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi or Femi Gbajabiamila is a rape of justice and a caricature of the independence of the legislature."

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He argued that any investigation that reaches conclusions without giving the accused a chance to respond is fundamentally flawed, emphasizing that natural justice demands an opportunity for the accused to be heard.

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Okonkwo stated, "Natural justice demands that you cannot condemn a man unheard, and any findings of the National Assembly that condemns the Prince or Femi without hearing from them is a nullity and will be laughable."

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The explanation attributed to Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu, that Adeyemi could not be produced due to a court order, was dismissed by Okonkwo as "absurd", noting that a remand order should not hinder the legislature's constitutional oversight functions.

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According to Okonkwo, the legislature, as a separate arm of government, cannot be stopped from performing its duties by another branch's order, rendering the excuse for not producing Adeyemi unconvincing.

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Okonkwo also questioned the National Assembly's decision not to invite Gbajabiamila, who is not in detention, to testify, asking, "If Adeyemi is in detention, is Femi also in detention?"

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He further asked, "Why did the National Assembly not question Femi, who is not in detention?", before concluding that the situation has turned Nigeria into a joke, and that Nigerians should address this "insanity" in 2027 through their votes.