In its interim investigation report submitted to President Tinubu on August 6, 2026, and obtained by media outlets including Premium Times on Tuesday, August 25, the commission stated that Adeyemi was never appointed by the Federal Government and that the PFIPC had no legal foundation. The body was never established by any law, executive order, or other valid government instrument.
Investigators determined that Adeyemi personally forged an appointment letter dated March 2024 on a fake State House letterhead, which carried a signature presented as that of Gbajabiamila. Forensic examinations linked the forged documents and other purported State House correspondence directly to Adeyemi. The ICPC found no record that Gbajabiamila appointed Adeyemi, had any direct dealings with him, or that the Office of the Chief of Staff or the State House had any connection to Adeyemi or the PFIPC.
The commission noted that the Office of the Chief of Staff does not issue appointment letters for heads of government ministries, departments, and agencies. ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu (SAN) earlier disclosed that Adeyemi was never appointed by any authorised public institution and that the appointment letter, along with supporting documents used to operate the purported council, was entirely fabricated.
The scandal came to light after Adeyemi allegedly claimed he paid N400 million in bribes (to someone he believed was Gbajabiamila) to secure the appointment and facilitate the agency’s operations. Gbajabiamila has denied receiving any money or having any relationship with Adeyemi, stating he was the one who reported the individual’s activities to the police. President Tinubu directed the ICPC in early July 2026 to investigate the matter thoroughly and submit findings within 30 days, following the Presidency’s disavowal of the PFIPC as a fraudulent entity.
Gbajabiamila voluntarily appeared before ICPC investigators on July 20, 2026, at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja to answer questions as part of the probe. The anti-graft agency confirmed he was neither arrested nor detained and cooperated fully before returning to his duties.
The ICPC also uncovered that Adeyemi allegedly established two additional fictitious agencies—the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public Private Partnership—using forged documents. He reportedly changed the name of the PFIPC at times to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council in an apparent bid to expand its claimed mandate. Financial probes found no evidence that public funds were approved, released, or disbursed to the fake PFIPC or related entities.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has found no evidence linking Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, to the creation or operation of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), a fictitious federal agency, or to the appointment of its self-styled director-general, Adeniyi Adeyemi.
The commission has recommended the prosecution of Adeyemi and sanctions against public officials whose negligence allegedly enabled the fake agency to secure office space in the Federal Secretariat, open accounts, and operate for about two years. Investigations into other aspects of the case remain ongoing.
The findings effectively exonerate Gbajabiamila, whose office had faced public scrutiny over the allegations. The Presidency has previously described Adeyemi as a “con artist” and affirmed that police forensic analysis confirmed the signature on the disputed appointment letter was forged.
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