PFIPC Scandal: Adeyemi Demands Media, Lawyers’ Presence Before Reps Probe

Adeniyi Adeyemi, the controversial Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), has demanded that journalists and his lawyers be present before he submits to questioning by the House of Representatives committee investigating the council.

The demand comes as the House Ad Hoc Committee, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi, is yet to determine the venue for Adeyemi’s much-anticipated appearance.

The committee is investigating how the PFIPC allegedly secured official office accommodation within the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja and received more than N1.32 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act despite claims that the council had no legal backing.

Adeyemi, who is currently in police custody over the controversy, had previously declined to answer questions when lawmakers attempted to interrogate him without his legal representatives present.

According to a family source, the committee rescheduled the interrogation for Monday after Adeyemi insisted that journalists must also be allowed to attend.

The source said the committee initially agreed to have the media present but later indicated that lawmakers would not bring journalists to the session.

Adeyemi’s lawyer, Ademola Oyedokun, had earlier objected to what he described as a closed-door interrogation, arguing that other individuals involved in the controversy had been questioned publicly.

“We have read that the committee intends to interview our client at an undisclosed date and place. We ask it, respectfully, to think again,” Oyedokun said.

He argued that Adeyemi should be allowed to respond to allegations against him in the same public setting where the allegations were made.

The committee’s inquiry follows testimonies from senior government officials, including the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack; Budget Office Director-General Tanimu Yakubu; CBN Director of Banking Services Hamisu Abdullahi; and representatives of the Inspector-General of Police.

Their testimonies have raised questions about how Adeyemi allegedly presented himself as the head of the PFIPC and gained access and recognition within government institutions.

Meanwhile, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has rejected the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission’s findings on the controversy, describing the investigation as inadequate.

CUPP spokesperson Agu Bryan questioned how an alleged fictitious agency could secure office space, recruit staff, participate in government activities and receive a N1.32 billion budgetary allocation without the involvement or negligence of officials within government institutions.

The coalition called for a broader and transparent investigation into the roles of government agencies and officials connected to the PFIPC.

It also questioned how the council was included in the 2026 budget and called for those responsible for processing and approving the allocation to be identified.

The controversy has intensified following reports that a signature attributed to the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, was allegedly forged.

CUPP said the finding should prompt investigators to examine other documents and official correspondence allegedly used by Adeyemi.

The House committee is expected to question Adeyemi as it seeks to establish how the PFIPC was created, how it operated within government structures, who recognised it and how public funds were allocated to it.