Breaking: Fresh Tension as Senate Takes Action Over Alleged Fake Agency Scandal in Tinubu's Govt
- A forged appointment letter bearing a falsified signature of Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila was accepted at the Civil Service Headquarters without verification, giving a fictitious agency a Federal Secretariat office for over a year
- The N1.3bn allocation to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council was approved without any official of the council appearing before the Senate Committee to defend the budget
- SERAP, Atiku Abubakar, the PDP, and senior lawyers have all reacted to the scandal, with the Senate expected to address the controversy when plenary resumes on Tuesday, July 7
FCT, Abuja - Fresh political tension is expected in the National Assembly as the Senate prepares to address the controversy surrounding the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) when plenary resumes.
The move follows questions over a reported ₦1.3 billion allocation to the council in the 2026 Appropriation Act despite claims by the Presidency that the body was never lawfully established.
Source: UGC
A National Assembly source said the Senate leadership would discuss the matter to calm public concerns and clarify the circumstances surrounding the budget provision.
"I understand the Senate leadership will address the controversy on Tuesday to douse the growing tension and alleged complicity by any of its presiding officers," the source said.
Forgery claims emerge
Presidency and civil service sources alleged that a forged appointment letter bearing the name of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, enabled Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew to secure office space at the Federal Secretariat, giving the council an appearance of legitimacy, Punch reported.
Officials maintained that the letter bypassed established appointment procedures.
"The Chief of Staff has never appointed anyone at that level. All DGs and Permanent Secretaries, their appointments are from the President," a Presidency source said.
Calls for accountability
The controversy has prompted renewed demands for transparency from civil society groups, including SERAP and HEDA, which are seeking disclosure of documents relating to the budget allocation, Vanguard reported.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has urged the public to allow the judicial process to run its course.
Deputy House spokesman Philip Agbese said,
"The issue is being handled legally... Nigerians will get to know in detail what transpired."
Alleged fake agency: Atiku speaks
Previously, Legit.ng reported that former vice president Atiku Abubakar demanded that President Bola Tinubu, within seven days, commission a transparent and independent investigation into the scandal surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), warning that inaction would amount to complicity.
Speaking through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, in a statement dated July 3, 2026, Atiku said the controversy had grown well beyond questions of individual forgery and now threatened the credibility of Nigeria's core institutions of government.
Source: Legit.ng
