As the controversy over the ‘Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC)’ deepens, Adeniyi Adeyemi, who says he is the Director General of the disputed agency, has vowed to clear his name, saying he is ready to face the law.

For months, Adeyemi made headlines talking about his work with the agency, and photos of him and prominent figures in Nigeria circulated on the internet. But the presidency has denied the existence of such an organisation and has filed charges against him amid a controversy over what is really the truth.

Amid the growing controversy and after a lengthy rebuttal by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, he said he was ready to defend himself, insisting that he was lawfully appointed to head the organisation.

During an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Adeyemi, when asked if he was ready to face the law, said, “Definitely, sir. If I’m wrong, let the court of law do that, and if I’m right, let the court of law do that; do the right thing.”

He denied claims labelling him as a con artist, arguing that “since the matter is in the court, let the court of competent jurisdiction vindicate me because I’m ready to clear my name.”

“Let the court take its course. Since my lawyers are involved, everybody will follow us. They will monitor the whole thing. Then let the court of competent jurisdiction do what they need to,” he said.

When pressed about where the funding for the salaries of staff under the council came from, he insisted that “the truth will be unravelled at the court of law.

“Mr Seun [host of the programme], I don’t want to talk much about it since the matter is in court. In fact, I’m restricted from talking since the matter is in the courts. So let’s just get to the courts, Ok?”

The controversy over the matter took a new turn after the presidency disowned the organisation Adeyemi claimed to be heading. Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga accused him of impersonation and forgery of official documents.

“We are aware of the public interest in the matter of a man called Adeyemi Adeniyi Matthew, who has been parading himself as the director-general of a fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council cum Presidential Economic Advisory Council,” Onanuga said in a statement.

“The case of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew is a clear case of a con artist who appears to have built a web of false claims to deceive unsuspecting government officials and the public into playing by his scam book. He has a history of fraudulent misrepresentation,” he said.

Adeyemi denied any wrongdoing, accusing Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, and other senior government officials of attempts to frustrate his activities after he refused to comply with certain orders.

“The major rationale behind the disagreement between myself and the Chief of Staff is that he allegedly requested 48 per cent of the take-off grant (₦27,395,510,136) from the same agency, which he denies, which I rejected after he collected a total sum of ₦400 million by proxy, with a remaining balance of ₦200 million to secure the said appointment,” Adeyemi claimed.

He asked President Bola Tinubu to establish an independent investigative panel to examine the allegations.

A search of the Budget Office’s published 2026 Appropriation Bill details under the “Summary by MDAs” lists an entity described as “Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council” with code 0111062001 and a total allocation of ₦1.303 billion.

This comprised ₦802.98 million for personnel, ₦200 million for overhead, and ₦300 million for capital expenditure.

The presidency accused Adeyemi of operating several bank accounts linked to entities it labelled as fictitious and has subsequently filed charges against him in court.

“The Police found that Adeyemi, using the fake documents he created, fraudulently opened a CBN account by misleading the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation. According to the police, no government money has been transferred into the account.

“The act of the suspect constitutes criminal forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence, thereby bringing the office of the Chief of Staff to the President and the Presidency to disrepute before the public and international community,” the presidency quoted the police as writing in the report of the investigation conducted by the assistant commissioner, Kabir Mogaji.

“Based on their investigations, the police filed an eight-count charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja against Adeyemi and two of his accomplices on November 27, 2025. He is due in court on July 27,” Onanuga said.

“Adeyemi was on police bail when he recently claimed that the Chief of Staff had appointed him as DG of the fictitious agency. This claim contradicted his statement to the police in November last year. His new claim prompted the Chief of Staff, on June 8, to issue a disclaimer consistent with earlier advisories that the man, called Adeyemi, is an imposter.” (Channels TV, excluding headline)

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