The House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the alleged operation of the disputed Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council has described the appointment letter received by Adeniyi Adeyemi, who identified himself as the Director-General, as fake.
The Chairman of the committee, Yusuf Gagdi, stated this on Wednesday during the continuation of the probe in Abuja.
Gagdi said that the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who appeared for the second time on Wednesday, also admitted that the documents presented by Adeyemi were not authentic.
“It was established that the so-called letter of appointment was fake, confirmed by different agencies, and the Act presented to the Head of Service was equally fake, forged by the DG; it was established,” the lawmaker said.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation appeared before the committee in compliance with its summons following her earlier invitation for her final statements.
Walson-Jack admitted that due diligence was not thoroughly carried out in the process that led to the recognition of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
She accepted responsibility for the lapse, saying her office relied on documents that appeared authentic without subjecting them to sufficient verification.
The HOSF told lawmakers that her office had no reason to doubt the documents at the time because they bore the State House logo and what appeared to be a familiar signature.
However, she said subsequent comparisons with genuine State House correspondence, backed by police forensic findings, confirmed that the signatures were different.
She assured the committee that her office would review its internal verification procedures to make them more robust and fraud-proof.
Also present were Deputy Commissioner of Police Olufemi Akinola and Assistant Commissioner of Police Bashir Abdullahi, who represented the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu.
Akinola told the committee that the self-acclaimed DG of the purported council could not appear before the lawmakers due to a subsisting court order.
He said Adeyemi could only appear upon an order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
Following the submission, the committee adjourned further sitting on the matter until next week.
The committee had on Monday described the establishment and operation of the purported council as a serious breach and directed the Inspector-General of Police to produce Adeyemi within 48 hours.
The lawmakers said his appearance was expected to clarify how the council obtained official recognition and processed government correspondence as the investigation continues.
Adeyemi had alleged during a press briefing that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, demanded 48 per cent from the PFIPC’s ₦27.3 billion takeoff grant.
He had also alleged that the Chief of Staff received ₦400 million through a proxy and requested an additional ₦200 million to facilitate presidential approvals.
But Gbajabiamila denied the allegations, maintaining that he had no personal, official or professional relationship with Adeyemi.
He also denied demanding or receiving any money, just as he denied any involvement in the alleged death of Babatunde Tanimola, whom Adeyemi claimed acted as an intermediary, as well as allegations linking him to an alleged assassination attempt on the defendant or interference with investigations by security agencies.
Following the allegations, President Bola Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the matter.
Amid the outrage generated by the issue, the House of Representatives inaugurated a 12-member ad hoc committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the establishment of the disputed agency and the process through which it was included in the 2026 budget.
The committee is also investigating the alleged allocation of ₦1.3 billion to the agency in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
During his appearance, the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu, told the committee that no kobo appropriated for the disputed agency was spent.
He said that while the National Assembly approved funds for the council, the statutory conditions required to release, pay, or spend the money were never met.
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