- The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and APGA chieftain Chief Chekwas Okorie have firmly rejected the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) interim report on the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
- The ADC described the ICPC’s findings as “predictable and inadequate,” arguing that the fraud could not have been perpetrated by a single individual, Adeniyi Adeyemi, without high-level government collusion and systemic failure.
- Opposition leaders questioned how a fictitious council secured prime office space at the Federal Secretariat, civil servant deployments, official security and vehicles, forged presidential signatures, and a N1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
- Both the ADC and Okorie demanded a transparent, independent probe to investigate how executive structures permitted such widespread institutional deception, maintaining that an executive-controlled agency like the ICPC cannot neutrally investigate the presidency.
The controversy surrounding the alleged fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has deepened as prominent political figures and opposition stakeholders vigorously rejected the interim investigation report issued by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Eko Hot Blog reports that both the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Chief Chekwas Okorie, a founding chieftain of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), have dismissed the anti-graft agency’s findings as an incomplete attempt to contain political damage rather than expose systemic breakdowns, insisting on an immediate and uncompromised independent judicial probe into the saga.
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The widespread backlash follows the submission of the ICPC’s preliminary findings, which recommended the prosecution of the council’s acclaimed Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, while merely hinting at potential lower-level accomplices within government ranks.
Critical political actors contend that the anti-corruption agency failed to address the core institutional breaches that enabled an unconstitutional entity to operate with full official legitimacy within the highest corridors of power.
In an official statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC accused the Federal Government of being far more interested in managing political embarrassment than uncovering the complete network of high-ranking public officials who facilitated the operation.
According to the ADC, attempting to reduce a massive institutional scandal to the isolated misconduct of one individual is both absurd and highly predictable.
The party reiterated its earlier opposition to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to assign the investigation to the ICPC, reminding the public that it had previously advocated for an autonomous, non-partisan panel of inquiry.
The opposition party emphasized that the fictitious council enjoyed privileges, state access, and logistical backing ordinarily reserved for constitutionally recognized federal institutions, making a single-handed fraud virtually impossible under standard civil service regulations and administrative oversight.
To support its demand for a broader investigation, the ADC highlighted several unanswered questions regarding the day-to-day operations of the fake agency.
The party demanded full public disclosure on how the alleged organization effortlessly secured designated office accommodation within the Federal Secretariat complex, obtained official civil servant deployments, received police security escorts and government vehicles, and successfully secured a N1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
The ADC stressed that budgetary provisions do not materialize by accident, noting that every financial line item leaves an explicit trail of proposals, verifications, ministerial endorsements, and legislative approvals that must be audited transparently.
Furthermore, the ADC addressed the issue of an appointment letter bearing the alleged forged signature of the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
The party argued that establishing the document as a forgery fails to explain how such a document successfully bypassed multiple layers of government verification across various ministries, departments, and agencies.
The opposition party urged investigators to publicly identify every official who verified, processed, or authorized the council’s inter-agency dealings, warning that if probing one bogus entity uncovers others, it highlights a profound pattern of systemic criminality within the current administrative framework.
Echoing similar concerns, APGA elder statesman Chief Chekwas Okorie asserted in an interview that no discerning Nigerian should be surprised by the ICPC’s interim conclusions.
Okorie argued that the ICPC, operating directly under the executive branch of government, faces an inherent conflict of interest when tasked with investigating matters deeply intertwined with the executive arm and the presidency.
Describing the scenario as one where the executive effectively acts as both accuser and judge, Okorie emphasized that only a totally independent, open, and public panel can restore public trust and expose the true architects behind the establishment, funding, and illegal operations of the PFIPC.
In conclusion, both the ADC and Chief Okorie called for the immediate publication of the complete, unedited ICPC interim report.
They demanded that every public officer whose action, inaction, or gross negligence enabled the fake presidential entities to acquire official recognition and state privileges be fully exposed and prosecuted in accordance with Nigerian law.
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