The Presidency has shot down bribery allegations against Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, calling them a 'criminal enterprise.' The statement comes after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar asked for Gbajabiamila's suspension over a ₦400 million scandal.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, explained that the controversy is a result of a scam orchestrated by Matthew. Onanuga said Matthew paraded himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, using forged appointment letters, reference numbers, and falsified seals.
Gbajabiamila first blew the whistle on the operation in October 2025, after learning that Matthew was hosting unauthorized meetings with foreign diplomats and falsely soliciting a note verbale from the United States Ministry of Foreign Affairs to obtain visas for his staff. 'The above development not only constitutes a serious criminal act but also undermines the integrity of the presidency and the credibility of official government communication,' Gbajabiamila wrote in his initial October 17 petition to the police and the Department of State Services.
He urged the police to initiate a thorough investigation to identify and apprehend those involved. Security agencies swiftly intervened, arresting Matthew in Abuja on October 27, 2025, and discovering that he operated 34 separate bank accounts, with nine opened under fictitious agency names.
The police filed an eight-count charge against Matthew at the Federal High Court in Abuja, with his trial scheduled to commence on July 27. The suspect recently made new claims against the Chief of Staff while out on police bail, which prompted a fresh disclaimer from Gbajabiamila on June 8 identifying Matthew as an impostor.
Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff since 2023, was a member of the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2019, serving as the Speaker from 2015 to 2019. He was first accused of bribery by Matthew in June 2026, but Onanuga stated that he has since been cleared.
'Politicians and members of the public who are weaponising Adeyemi's claim against the Chief of Staff should refrain from swallowing his narrative hook, line and sinker,' Onanuga said. >
The Office of the Chief of Staff first identified Matthew's activities in October 2025, after discovering his fake agency and meetings with foreign diplomats. Matthew was initially arrested on October 27, 2025, and has been on police bail since. He recently made new claims against Gbajabiamila while on bail, which prompted another statement from the Chief of Staff.
'We want to urge interested parties to await the trial of Adeyemi and his accomplices, as well as the court's judgement, as comments made today are sub judice,' Onanuga stated. >
Matthew's claim against Gbajabiamila came after the Office of the Chief of Staff petitioned the police to investigate his activities in October 2025.
The Nigerian Presidency issued a statement addressing allegations of bribery against Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila on June 30, 2026. The statement claimed that the allegations were a scam orchestrated by Matthew, who had a history of false presentations and operated 34 bank accounts under fictitious agency names.
The Presidency stated that the suspension of Gbajabiamila was unjustified and that he was cleared of the allegations. The police arrested Matthew in October 2025 after learning that he had been hosting unauthorized meetings with foreign diplomats and falsely soliciting a note verbale from the United States Ministry of Foreign Affairs to obtain visas for his staff.
Gbajabiamila was first accused of bribery by Matthew in June 2026, but the Presidency stated that he had since been cleared. The Office of the Chief of Staff first identified Matthew's activities in October 2025, after discovering his fake agency and meetings with foreign diplomats.
Matthew was initially arrested on October 27, 2025, and has been on police bail since. He recently made new claims against Gbajabiamila while on bail, which prompted another statement from the Chief of Staff. The Presidency stated that interested parties should await the trial of Adeyemi and his accomplices, as well as the court's judgement, as comments made today are sub judice.