The Presidency on Wednesday mounted a robust defence of Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, releasing a detailed account of investigations it claimed exposed Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew as the operator of a fictitious presidential agency months before he accused the presidential aide of corruption.
The State House said records from the Office of the Chief of Staff, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Nigeria Police Force showed that Adeyemi was never appointed by President Bola Tinubu or any government authority but allegedly forged official documents to present himself as Director-General of the non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
The detailed rebuttal, contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, comes barely 24 hours after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar called on President Tinubu to suspend Gbajabiamila over allegations of a ₦400 million bribery scandal and the controversial inclusion of the PFIPC and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
According to the Presidency, in the statement, the Office of the Chief of Staff first uncovered the alleged scheme after officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission complained that another body was presenting itself as a government agency and carrying out activities that overlapped with the commission’s statutory responsibilities.
Acting on the complaints, Gbajabiamila reportedly petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force on October 17, 2025, requesting an investigation into what he described as the activities of fraudsters forging appointment letters purportedly issued from his office.
“The attention of this office has been drawn to the activities of certain individuals and groups engaged in the forgery of official appointment letters purportedly issued from my office,” the Chief of Staff reportedly wrote.
“The fake documents, bearing falsified signatures, reference/folio numbers, and seals, have been used to claim leadership appointments to non-existent entities, with particular reference to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.”
According to the statement, Adeyemi allegedly operated from an office within the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja, held meetings with foreign diplomats and Nigerian officials and even requested a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate United States visas for officials of the purported agency.
“The above development not only constitutes a serious criminal act but also undermines the integrity of the Presidency and the credibility of official government communication. I therefore urge you to initiate a thorough investigation to identify and apprehend those involved and also to uncover the network facilitating the forgery,” the petition added.
The Presidency said the alleged activities had also triggered concern within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It said the ministry wrote to the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Office of the Chief of Staff on October 15, 2025, after Adeyemi reportedly convened a meeting with ambassadors at the Wells Carlton Hotel in Abuja without recourse to the ministry.
“This act contravenes extant rules and regulations guiding diplomatic practices globally,” the ministry reportedly stated.
The Office of the National Security Adviser subsequently referred the matter to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, which sought clarification from the Chief of Staff following enquiries from several government and non-governmental organisations regarding Adeyemi’s purported appointment.
The Presidency said Gbajabiamila consistently denied appointing Adeyemi, noting that his office neither makes federal appointments nor could it issue an appointment into a non-existent agency.
In another letter dated November 5, 2025, the Chief of Staff reportedly reiterated the denial.
“Prince Adeniyi Matthew, director-general of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, is unknown to any office, nor do we have any dealings with the said council,” he reportedly wrote.
“My attention was drawn to a letter of this purported application, which is fake, and my office has instructed the police and other relevant security agencies to carry out investigations on the person and the entity he claims to represent.”
According to the statement, police investigators arrested Adeyemi on October 27, 2025, at the Abuja office where he allegedly operated the scheme.
Searches of the office and his residence in Suleja reportedly yielded forged documents and other exhibits.
The Presidency said Adeyemi allegedly told investigators that one Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola assisted him in obtaining the forged appointment letter, but police later established that Tanimola had died in a fire incident at Kachi Hotel in Abuja on October 22, five days before Adeyemi’s arrest.
Investigators reportedly concluded that the PFIPC never existed, that Adeyemi forged appointment letters and official documents, falsely presented himself as a presidential appointee and fraudulently sought diplomatic documentation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Police also allegedly uncovered 34 bank accounts operated by Adeyemi, including nine opened in the names of ‘fictitious’ organisations identified as the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and Public Private Partnership (FIPA-APP).
According to the statement, Adeyemi also allegedly used forged documents to fraudulently open an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, although investigators established that no public funds were paid into the account.
“The act of the suspect constitutes criminal forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence, thereby bringing the office of the Chief of Staff to the President and the Presidency to disrepute before the public and inTernational community,” the police report was quoted by the Presidency as saying.
Following the investigation, police filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi and two alleged accomplices before the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 27, 2025. The matter is scheduled for hearing on July 27
