Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has called for the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry to investigate the controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
The council has attracted public attention following the inclusion of a N1.3 billion allocation for it in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
On June 11, Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, publicly disowned the appointment of Adeniyi Adeyemi as head of the PFIPC, insisting that the office does not exist under the current administration and that no such appointment was ever made.
Adeyemi, however, rejected the claim, arguing that official government records contradicted the Presidency’s position.
The Presidency later accused him of forging official documents, including an appointment letter, to present himself as the head of the alleged agency.
On Tuesday, Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to carry out what he described as a “thorough investigation” into the PFIPC matter.
Reacting in a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the President’s directive came only after he had issued a seven-day ultimatum demanding a transparent investigation.
According to him, the decision to involve the ICPC contradicts the Presidency’s earlier claim that the matter had already been fully investigated by the police, with a suspect arrested and criminal charges filed.
“If all of that is true, what exactly is the ICPC expected to spend another 30 days investigating?” Atiku asked.
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The former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) argued that if the police investigation had indeed been exhaustive, there would be no justification for another probe by a government agency.
“What Nigerians demanded was never another internal government investigation. We demanded an independent investigation,” he said.
Atiku proposed the immediate creation of a special independent commission of inquiry made up of 10 respected Nigerians nominated by the Federal Government, the ADC, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), civil society organisations, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and retired judicial officers.
He said the panel should be empowered to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the PFIPC controversy, examine reports compiled by the police and other security agencies, summon serving and former public officials where necessary, publish a white paper containing its findings and recommendations, and conclude its work within one month.
According to Atiku, only an independent panel with representatives from the government, opposition parties and civil society would inspire public confidence and restore trust in the outcome of the investigation.