The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) chieftain, Chekwas Okorie, have rejected the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission’s (ICPC) interim report on the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
They called for an independent investigation into how the organisation allegedly operated within government structures and obtained official recognition and privileges.
The criticism followed the ICPC’s interim findings, which recommended the prosecution of the principal suspect, Adeniyi Adeyemi, while suggesting that other individuals within government could have been involved.
Reacting to the report on Saturday, the ADC described the findings as “predictable and inadequate”.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party accused the Federal Government of focusing on containing the political fallout from the controversy rather than establishing the full circumstances surrounding the alleged operation.
The ADC recalled that it had previously opposed President Bola Tinubu’s decision to refer the matter to the ICPC, arguing instead for an independent investigative panel.
According to the party, the interim report appeared to treat the controversy largely as a breakdown in government procedures, despite what it described as evidence that the alleged PFIPC had enjoyed privileges ordinarily reserved for recognised government institutions.
“What Nigerians expected was an investigation into how a ‘fictitious agency’ managed to obtain all authorisations and institutional support required to operate as a legitimate government agency,” the party said.
The ADC questioned how the organisation allegedly secured office accommodation within the Federal Secretariat complex, had civil servants deployed to it, obtained official vehicles and security support, and received a N1.3bn provision in the 2026 Appropriation Act if it had no legal existence.
The opposition party argued that such developments could not reasonably have been achieved by one person acting alone.
“Budgetary provisions do not materialise by accident. They leave records, submissions, approvals and an audit trail,” it said.
The ADC consequently demanded that investigators establish who proposed, processed and approved the N1.3bn allocation.
The party also raised questions about an appointment letter allegedly bearing the signature of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, which investigators reportedly found to have been forged.
It argued that determining that the document was forged did not address the broader question of how the alleged deception passed through government verification processes.
“How did a forged document survive the verification procedures of government?” the party asked.
It urged investigators to establish who verified the existence of the PFIPC before civil servants were deployed to it, who authorised its accommodation and which officials facilitated its dealings with other government institutions.
The ADC said the matter should be treated as a possible systemic failure rather than solely as an alleged fraud perpetrated by an individual.
“If an investigation into one fake government agency leads investigators to two more, then the obvious question is no longer merely how one individual perpetrated an elaborate fraud,” the party said.
“The question is how has this administration operated that made such systemic criminality possible?”
The party called for the immediate publication of the full ICPC interim report and demanded that any public officials whose actions or negligence enabled the alleged entities to obtain official recognition or government privileges be identified and held accountable where wrongdoing is established.
Meanwhile, Okorie also criticised the outcome of the ICPC investigation, saying he was not surprised by the findings.
In an interview with Sunday PUNCH, the APGA chieftain questioned the ability of an agency operating under the executive arm of government to independently investigate a matter involving the same arm of government.
“No reasonable Nigerian will be surprised at the outcome of the so-called ICPC investigation of the Adeyemi fake agency saga,” he said.
Okorie called for what he described as a “reputable, independent and open probe” into the establishment, funding and activities of the alleged organisation, particularly its reported links to the Presidency.
He argued that the ICPC’s involvement raised questions about the separation between the body conducting the investigation and the executive arm whose structures were allegedly involved.
Okorie also expressed reservations about the possibility of the National Assembly conducting an alternative investigation, citing what he described as declining public confidence in the legislature.
The ICPC’s interim findings and the allegations raised by the ADC and Okorie are likely to keep scrutiny on how the alleged PFIPC was able to operate within government structures and obtain official resources.
