PFIPC scandal: Senate rejects fresh probe into N1.3bn ‘fake’ agency budget

The Senate on Wednesday rejected a fresh investigation into the controversial N1.3bn budgetary allocation to the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), saying it would wait for the outcome of the ongoing investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The decision followed a point of order raised by the Senator representing Kano South, Kawu Sumaila, who asked the upper chamber to investigate how the agency, which the Presidency has described as non-existent, got a N1.3bn allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

As Sumaila began presenting his motion, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who presided over plenary, interrupted him, saying the matter should have come before the Senate as a substantive motion.

Presenting his argument, Sumaila said the controversy surrounding the PFIPC had raised concerns about the integrity of the country’s budget process.

He noted that despite the executive’s public disowning of the agency, it was allocated N1,302,978,000 under budget code 0111062001 in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

“I rise today under Order 9 and Rule 9(c) of the Senate Standing Orders, 2026, to draw the attention of this Hallowed Chamber to a matter of grave institutional concern.

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“The issues raised directly affect the integrity of the Senate, the credibility of the National Assembly and the effective exercise of our constitutional oversight and appropriation responsibilities.

“Notwithstanding the executive’s public disapproval of this agency, the entirety was incorporated in the 2026 Appropriation Act under Code 0111062001 with a budgetary allocation of N1,302,978,000, thereby raising a serious question regarding the integrity of the budget preparation and appropriation process,” he said.

According to him, the allocation included more than N800m for personnel costs, over N200m for overheads and more than N300m for capital expenditure.

Sumaila said including a purportedly non-existent agency in the national budget could weaken public confidence in the appropriation process and expose gaps in legislative scrutiny.

He urged the Senate to direct its Committees on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, and Appropriations to investigate how the allocation was proposed, scrutinised, justified and approved.

The lawmaker also asked the Senate to investigate whether any funds had been released, committed or spent under the budget line and whether any bank account had been opened or operated in connection with the allocation.

However, the Senate leadership opposed the request, citing the ongoing ICPC investigation.

Responding, Barau said the Presidency had already directed the ICPC to investigate the matter and that the commission had started work.

He said the Senate should wait for the outcome of the investigation before deciding on any further legislative action.

“As I said earlier, the presidency has taken up this matter by directing that the ICPC should investigate fully how this matter came to be.

“And I think ICPC has started. 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 and deal with it as we feel appropriate,” Barau said.

The controversy followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive on Tuesday ordering the ICPC to carry out a full investigation into the activities of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, which the Presidency said was never created by the Federal Government and has no legal basis.

In a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency directed the anti-graft agency to submit its findings within 30 days.

According to the Presidency, the investigation will cover alleged forged appointment letters and official government documents reportedly used by one Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew, who allegedly presented himself as Director-General of the council and falsely claimed to be a presidential appointee.

The probe will also examine allegations that he used the false claim to seek official recognition and diplomatic support, including visa facilitation, opened multiple bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies using allegedly forged documents, and the circumstances that enabled the fictitious body to appear legitimate.