The Nigerian Senate has voted against investigating the ₦1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 budget for the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), a body the Presidency insists does not exist. The decision came on Wednesday after a majority voice vote defeated a motion sponsored by Senator Kawu Sumaila (APC, Kano South). Lawmakers argued that since President Bola Tinubu had already directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to probe the matter, the Senate should await the commission's findings before taking further action.
Senate Defends Its Position Amid Criticism
The rejection of the motion follows a defense by Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu, who on Tuesday insisted that the National Assembly did not recommend or insert the ₦1.3 billion allocation. Representing Ekiti South, Adaramodu stated that the legislature is not constitutionally responsible for vetting appointees to head ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs). He argued that the Senate should not be held accountable for the inclusion of a phantom agency in the budget.
However, during Wednesday's plenary, Senator Sumaila challenged this stance, asserting that the Senate cannot distance itself from the controversy since it ultimately appropriated the funds. “Inclusion of a purported non-existent or unauthorised entity in the national budget undermines the credibility of the appropriation process, exposes weaknesses in international budgetary scrutiny, erodes public confidence in the National Assembly, and subjects the federal government to avoidable domestic and international criticism regarding transparency, accountability, and fiscal governance,” Sumaila said.
Sumaila Warns of Declining Public Trust
Sumaila warned that public trust in the National Assembly’s oversight functions would continue to decline unless the allocation was thoroughly scrutinized. He urged the Senate to condemn the administrative lapses that allowed a fake agency to operate and called for a mandate for the Committees on Ethics, Privileges, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, and Appropriations to investigate how the allocation was proposed and approved.
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who presided over the session, opposed the motion, noting that President Tinubu had already tasked the ICPC with a full investigation. “I believe that what we need to do at this stage is to have the report of the ICPC, and then we can act on that report, deal with it as we feel appropriate,” Jibrin said. The motion was subsequently defeated by a voice vote.
Contrast with House of Representatives
This outcome contrasts with the House of Representatives, which recently adopted a motion to investigate the ₦1.3 billion allocation to the same agency. The controversy stems from allegations against Adeniyi Adeyemi, who has been declared wanted for allegedly presenting himself as the director-general of the PFIPC and the Presidential Executive Advisory Council (PEAC)—both of which the Presidency maintains do not exist. Authorities accuse Adeyemi of forging official government documents.
Adeyemi, currently in hiding, has denied forging appointment letters, describing the allegations as an attempt to silence him. He had previously accused the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, of demanding a 48 per cent share of the ₦1.3 billion budget allocation. On Tuesday, Gbajabiamila issued a 72-hour ultimatum to Adeyemi to retract these allegations or face a ₦10 billion defamation suit and criminal proceedings. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has since called on the federal government to launch an independent investigation into the affair.
