Senate Rejects Motion to Probe PFIPC Allocation, Citing ICPC Investigation

The Senate has rejected a motion seeking to investigate a ₦1.3 billion budget allocation to the supposedly non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC). The decision comes after the Presidency directed the antigraft body, ICPC, to investigate the matter.

This controversy stems from allegations against Adeniyi Adeyemi, who has been declared wanted for allegedly presenting himself as the director-general of PFIPC and the Presidential Executive Advisory Council (PEAC). Authorities accuse Mr Adeyemi of forging official government documents. Mr Adeyemi, who is currently in hiding, has denied forging appointment letters, describing the allegations as an attempt to silence him.

The Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, defended the National Assembly’s role in the budgetary allocation, insisting that the ₦1.3 billion was neither recommended nor inserted by lawmakers. However, Sen. Kawu Sumaila argued that the Senate could not distance itself from the controversy as it ultimately appropriated the funds.

The motion was sponsored by Sumaila, who expressed concerns about the inclusion of a purported non-existent entity in the national budget. He warned that public trust in the National Assembly’s oversight functions would continue to decline unless the allocation was thoroughly scrutinised.

The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, opposed the request, noting that President Bola Tinubu had already tasked ICPC with a full investigation. “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, deal with it as we feel appropriate,” Mr Jibrin said.

The motion was eventually defeated by a voice vote, contrasting with the House of Representatives, which recently adopted a motion to investigate the allocation of ₦1.3 billion to the same agency.

The controversy has generated widespread public interest and calls for an independent investigation, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar recently calling on the federal government to launch an investigation into the affair.

Sen. Sumaila had urged the Senate to condemn the administrative lapses that allowed a fake agency to operate and called for a mandate for the Committees on Ethics, Privileges, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, and Appropriations to investigate how the allocation was proposed and approved.

In a separate development, President Bola Tinubu has denied any involvement in the PFIPC scandal, with his office stating that the President had no knowledge of the allegedly fake agency.

It remains to be seen how this controversy will unfold in the coming weeks and months.