The embattled Director-General of the disowned Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC, Adeniyi Adeyemi, has said the ₦400 million he allegedly paid to secure his appointment letter was borrowed money.
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Adeyemi, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday night, said those who lent him the money had already petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, demanding a refund.
His latest claim comes weeks after he accused the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, of allegedly collecting ₦400 million through a proxy to facilitate his appointment into the disputed council.
“I borrowed this money. In fact, those that I borrowed this money from have reported to the EFCC. I borrowed this money to pay for this appointment. They have written to the EFCC, asking me to refund their money,” Adeyemi said.
He insisted that he did not personally own the money and suggested that the controversy had placed him under pressure from his lenders.
Adeyemi described the government’s handling of the matter as “very, very unfortunate,” accusing unnamed actors in government of embarrassing him over the controversy.
According to him, it was unfair for the government to claim that he single-handedly manipulated the entire system.
“Imagine the government claiming I manoeuvre the whole system. It’s unfortunate,” he said.
Asked about reports that a United States lobbying firm was helping him seek asylum, Adeyemi said he only became aware of the claim through media reports and calls from people who said some persons were looking for him.
He said he did not have full details of the alleged asylum arrangement and was only hearing updates from family and friends.
Adeyemi also denied reports that he was preparing to flee Nigeria, saying his social media accounts had been taken down and falsely linked to claims that he was about to leave the country.
“They pulled my social media handle down, and they still reported that I was about to run away out of Nigeria. I’m still in Nigeria. I’m not going anywhere,” he said.
The PFIPC controversy became public after the Presidency, in a June 11 disclaimer issued by Gbajabiamila, disowned the council and said no such office existed under the Tinubu administration. TNL had earlier reported that the Presidency warned foreign missions, financial institutions, security agencies and members of the public against dealing with Adeyemi or the purported council.
In a fuller statement issued on July 1, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said police investigations found that Adeyemi allegedly forged a presidential appointment letter purportedly signed by Gbajabiamila, operated a fictitious government agency and maintained 34 bank accounts, including nine allegedly opened in the names of non-existent government bodies.
According to the Presidency, concerns first emerged in October 2025 after the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission complained that another government-styled body appeared to be operating at cross-purposes with it.
The Presidency said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs later sought clarification after Adeyemi allegedly hosted diplomats at a meeting without recourse to the ministry. It further alleged that the Chief of Staff then asked security agencies to investigate forged appointment letters and other documents purportedly linked to his office.
Despite the Presidency’s denial, Adeyemi has maintained that his appointment was genuine and that he operated openly for nearly three years, meeting officials of ministries, departments and agencies, as well as foreign delegations.
He has repeatedly accused Gbajabiamila of allegedly collecting ₦400 million through a proxy, demanding a further ₦200 million and seeking 48 per cent of a purported ₦27.4 billion take-off grant for the council.
Gbajabiamila’s lawyers have denied the allegations and threatened Adeyemi with a ₦10 billion defamation suit over claims linking the Chief of Staff to bribery, murder and other alleged criminal conduct. TNL had earlier reported that the cease-and-desist letter was issued by Pinheiro LP, led by Kemi Pinheiro, SAN.
Adeyemi later told activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, that he had never met Gbajabiamila in person and could not confirm the identity of the person he allegedly spoke with by phone.
The controversy has also been fuelled by reports that the PFIPC or the Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council appeared in the 2026 national budget with an allocation of over ₦1.3 billion.
TNL had earlier reported that the dispute had raised questions about how a body disowned by the Presidency reportedly appeared in official budget documents and how Adeyemi allegedly secured official-looking correspondence, office space and institutional access.
The Presidency has insisted that no government money was released to the purported council, while critics have demanded a full investigation into how the alleged agency acquired the appearance of official legitimacy.
President Tinubu has since directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to investigate the activities of the purported council, alleged forgery of appointment letters, the opening of multiple bank accounts and the circumstances that enabled the alleged body to gain official recognition. The President ordered the ICPC to submit its report within 30 days.
Adeyemi had earlier said he was ready to cooperate with the ICPC, DSS, police or any panel set up by the President, insisting that he would submit documents in his possession to help investigators verify his claims.
The police have also filed an eight-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja against Adeyemi and two others over allegations of forgery, impersonation and related offences linked to the disputed council. The matter is expected to continue later in July.
Adeyemi and the other accused persons have not been convicted of the allegations.
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