Senate refuses to investigate ₦1.3 billion budget for PFIPC

The Senate has turned down a motion to look into how the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) made it into the 2026 budget with ₦1.3 billion allocated for it.

On Wednesday, the Senate voted against the motion put forward by Kawu Sumaila (APC, Kano South). The lawmakers chose not to conduct a probe, saying the Presidency has already asked the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate. The Senate said it would wait for the ICPC's findings before taking any further steps.

This decision came just one day after Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu defended the National Assembly’s role in the budget. He insisted that the ₦1.3 billion was not recommended or added by lawmakers. Mr Adaramodu, who represents Ekiti South Senatorial District, said the National Assembly is not responsible for security checks on people appointed to lead government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).

During the plenary session on Wednesday, Mr Sumaila challenged the Senate’s stance. He said the Senate could not distance itself from the issue since it was the one that approved the funds.

"Inclusion of a purported non-existent or unauthorized entity in the national budget undermines the credibility of the appropriation process, exposes weaknesses in international budgetary scrutiny, erodes public confidence in the National Assembly and subjects the federal government to avoidable domestic and international criticism regarding transparency, accountability, and fiscal governance," Mr Sumaila said.

He warned that public trust in the National Assembly's oversight would keep falling unless the allocation was properly scrutinized. He called on the Senate to condemn the lapses that allowed a fake agency to exist and asked the Committees on Ethics, Privileges, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, and Appropriations to investigate how the allocation was proposed and approved.

The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who led the session, spoke against the motion. He pointed out that President Bola Tinubu has already directed the ICPC to conduct 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 ultimately defeated by a voice vote. This decision is different from the House of Representatives, which recently agreed to investigate the ₦1.3 billion allocation to the same agency.

The issue started with allegations against Adeniyi Adeyemi, who is wanted for supposedly claiming to be the director-general of the PFIPC and the Presidential Executive Advisory Council (PEAC), both of which the Presidency says do not exist. Authorities accuse Mr Adeyemi of forging official government documents.

Mr Adeyemi, who is currently hiding, has denied forging appointment letters. He described the claims as an attempt to silence him. He had earlier accused the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, of wanting a 48 percent share of the ₦1.3 billion budget allocation.

On Tuesday, Mr Gbajabiamila gave Mr Adeyemi a 72-hour ultimatum to retract these claims or face a ₦10 billion defamation suit and possible criminal charges. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for an independent investigation into this matter.