Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed the interim report by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), insisting it does not exonerate the Presidency from wrongdoing.
Atiku Rejects ICPC Report as Insufficient
In a statement issued on Friday, August 7, by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku argued that the report itself acknowledged negligence and connivance within government circles, making it impossible to conclude that only one person was responsible for the alleged operation.
Atiku, who is the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections, said the findings showed that a suspect allegedly forged a presidential appointment letter, created a fictitious federal agency, occupied offices previously used by the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, opened bank accounts using forged legislative documents, impersonated government officials, and established two additional fake agencies.
Questions Raised Over Internal Facilitation
Atiku questioned how such activities could have unfolded without internal facilitation. He asked: "If there was connivance, who connived? If public officers were negligent, who are they? Who granted access to government offices? Who recognised this supposed Director-General? Who enabled him to operate within the machinery of government?"
He also noted that the ICPC's reported recommendation for sanctions against negligent public officers directly contradicted any suggestion that the alleged fraud was the sole work of one impostor.
"A fake agency does not walk into government offices by itself. A forged appointment letter does not validate itself. Bank accounts do not open themselves. Behind every door that opened, every process that was bypassed and every official instrument that was accessed was a human being. Name them," he said.
Demands for Public Hearing and Full Report
Atiku called on the National Assembly to organise an open, live-broadcast public hearing into the matter, pointing out that the central figure in the controversy, identified as Mr Adeyemi, had publicly expressed readiness to testify before lawmakers.
"The Presidency now has nowhere left to hide. If Mr. Adeyemi is prepared to appear publicly, testify under oath, and answer questions before Nigerians, then let him be heard," he said.
He warned that any move to block such a hearing would fuel public suspicion that powerful individuals were being protected.
Transparency Must Extend to Corridors of Power
The ADC presidential candidate also insisted that the interim report should not be treated as a final clearance for the Presidency while probes into alleged collaborators and related bank accounts remain open. He called for the full ICPC report and the identities of culpable officials to be made public.
"Transparency cannot stop where the trail enters the corridors of power. The presidency cannot investigate itself into innocence," he said.
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Atiku accused 'anti-democratic elements' of attempting to create confusion and dampen the momentum of the ADC ahead of the 2027 elections. According to a statement by his media office, insinuations that he had quit active politics were fake news, as he prepared to challenge President Bola Tinubu.
