PFIPC scandal: ADC rejects ICPC probe, demands judicial panel

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has publicly rejected President Bola Tinubu's directive for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) scandal. The party insists that only an independent judicial panel can conduct a credible probe into the matter.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC welcomed the President's decision to order an investigation. However, they expressed concern that assigning the probe to the ICPC, an agency under the Executive, could undermine public confidence. The party stated, "We insist, however, that only an independent judicial panel will be able to provide answers beyond all reasonable doubt to the many questions that this historic scandal has thrown up."

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We insist, however, that only an independent judicial panel will be able to provide answers beyond all reasonable doubt to the many questions that this historic scandal has thrown up.

The PFIPC scandal erupted when the council appeared as a beneficiary in the 2026 Appropriation Act, despite the Presidency's assertion that no such agency exists within the Federal Government. The controversy intensified after Adeniyi Adeyemi, who presented himself as the council's Director-General, accused the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, of corruption. The presidency disowned Adeyemi, labeling him a fraud, a claim he has refuted with documentation.

The ADC further criticized the Presidency's initial response, which they felt sought to dismiss the allegations. They argued that a "Presidency that is at the very heart of a historic scandal such as this does not have the credibility to authorise an investigation." The opposition party also accused the Presidency of prejudging the investigation's outcome by declaring related documents as forged before the probe commenced.

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A Presidency that is at the very heart of a historic scandal such as this does not have the credibility to authorise an investigation into a matter that has brought an entire country into disrepute.