A combo of Yusuf , Gbajabiamila and Adeyemi
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the alleged inclusion of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) in the Federal Government’s budget, Yusuf Gagdi, has rejected claims that the panel focused its investigation on the organisation’s self-acclaimed Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, while ignoring the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Gagdi said the committee investigated all individuals connected to the controversy, stressing that its work was guided by evidence rather than the identities or positions of those involved.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, the lawmaker responded to suggestions that the committee had concentrated its investigation on Adeyemi, who alleged that Gbajabiamila issued him a letter appointing him as Director-General of the purported agency.
“You cannot say that we investigated Adeyemi but did not investigate Gbajabiamila; we investigated everybody,” Gagdi said.
He explained that the committee did not invite either Adeyemi or Gbajabiamila to appear before it during its public hearings because the House resolution establishing the panel was not specifically focused on either individual.
According to him, the committee’s mandate was to determine how the purported agency found its way into the government’s administrative structure and the Federal Budget Framework.
Gagdi added that invitations issued by the committee had to be supported by evidence gathered during the investigation. Where the available evidence did not justify summoning an individual, he said, the committee had no basis to invite that person.
We Met Adeyemi in Police Custody
Although neither of the two key figures appeared before the committee during its public hearings, Gagdi disclosed that members of the panel met Adeyemi while he was in police custody.
He said the committee received three petitions from members of the public concerning the controversy, all of which were directed against Adeyemi, with none filed against Gbajabiamila.
According to Gagdi, one of the petitioners accused Adeyemi of defrauding him of ₦400 million.
He explained that the allegation prompted the committee to visit Adeyemi in custody to determine whether the claim was credible.
“There was a petition against him that he collected ₦400 million from someone, so we needed to establish whether that was true or not,” Gagdi said.
Committee Says No Evidence Against Gbajabiamila
Earlier on Wednesday, the committee presented its preliminary findings at a press briefing in Abuja.
The House constituted the panel following controversy over the inclusion of the PFIPC in the 2026 Appropriation Bill, despite questions over the organisation’s existence and legal status.
In its preliminary report, the committee said it found no evidence that Gbajabiamila authorised, established or participated in the activities of the purported organisation.
Instead, the panel said evidence before it indicated that the Chief of Staff took steps to alert security and investigative agencies and initiated administrative verification after concerns about the organisation were brought to his attention.
The committee also said it found no evidence that Gbajabiamila signed the purported appointment letter presented as proof that Adeyemi had been appointed Director-General of the PFIPC.
According to the panel, the document was neither issued nor signed by the Chief of Staff and was falsely attributed to the Presidency.
The committee subsequently commended Gbajabiamila for what it described as timely security and administrative interventions following the emergence of concerns about the purported organisation.
