The House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has uncovered alleged forgery and alteration of presidential and legislative documents reportedly used to give the purported agency official legitimacy.
The committee also revealed that about 58 bank accounts were allegedly linked to Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who was presented as the Director-General of the purported council, while an alleged ₦400 million transaction is currently under investigation.
However, the lawmakers cleared the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, of allegations that he authorised, established or participated in the activities of the organisation.
The committee, chaired by Rep. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, said its preliminary findings showed that the PFIPC was not lawfully established by the Federal Government.
According to the lawmakers, documents allegedly used to confer presidential and legislative legitimacy on the organisation were forged, fabricated or altered.
The committee specifically examined a purported letter appointing Adeyemi as Director-General of the PFIPC, which allegedly carried the authority and signature of Gbajabiamila.
It said evidence obtained from the State House established that no such appointment had been made or approved by the Presidency.
The committee further stated that the Chief of Staff neither issued nor signed the purported appointment letter.
It also found that the letterhead used on the document was not authentic State House stationery, while the reference number contained in the letter was inconsistent with the Presidency’s official referencing system.
“The format, language and administrative features of the document departed materially from official State House correspondence,” the committee stated.
Based on the evidence before it, the committee made a preliminary finding that the purported appointment letter was fabricated and falsely attributed to the Presidency.
The lawmakers said investigations into the alleged bank accounts and the ₦400 million transaction linked to the purported council were ongoing, as the committee continues to establish how the organisation operated and the extent of the alleged document fraud.
