The Senate on Tuesday said it could not intervene in the controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, insisting that no petition had been submitted to the National Assembly over the matter and that the dispute is already before the courts.

The clarification comes amid growing public scrutiny over the controversial N1.3bn allocation to the agency in the 2026 Appropriation Act and allegations surrounding its embattled Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi.

Speaking with journalists after plenary, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, acknowledged that the PFIPC has a budgetary allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

He, however, maintained that the Senate had no basis to investigate the controversy since no petition had been formally submitted to the Red Chamber by any of the parties involved or concerned Nigerians.

Adaramodu further noted that the matter had become sub judice because it is already before the courts, making it inappropriate for the Senate to comment or intervene.

He said, “The allegations and counter-allegations over a fake agency and its director general are all within the executive, which should be sorted out by it, specifically between the office of the Chief of Staff and the alleged fake DG.

“The budget line, being referred to, was not created or inserted by the National Assembly, and it is not the duty of the Senate or the House of Representatives to carry out security checks on those supposedly appointed to head the various MDAs.

“If the alleged fake DG were to be one of the Presidential appointees screened and confirmed by the Senate, the controversy might have been perceived to be somewhat linked to us.

“However, if a petition is sent to the Senate by any of the feuding parties or any concerned Nigerian on the existence or non-existence of agency or DG, it will be legislatively looked into.”

The Senate’s position comes days after lawmakers dismissed claims linking Senate President Godswill Akpabio to the controversial budget allocation, insisting that the legislature neither created the agency nor originated its budget.

The controversy erupted after the discovery of a N1.3bn allocation to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council in the 2026 Appropriation Act despite repeated claims by the Presidency that the agency does not exist.

PUNCH Online had earlier reported that the allocation was approved without the agency’s alleged Director-General, Adeyemi, or any official of the council appearing before the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service to defend the budget.

The development has intensified public scrutiny over the budget process, with questions being raised about how the allocation found its way into the 2026 budget.

The controversy comes in the wake of reports that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation received and processed official correspondence from the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council months before the Presidency publicly denied the agency’s existence.

Adeyemi, who claims to be the council’s Director-General, is currently standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges bordering on conspiracy, forgery and impersonation, while the Federal Government has listed the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and 10 others as prosecution witnesses in the case. (The PUNCH)

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