By Moses Okorie
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately sack his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, over allegations of corruption leveled against him by one Prince Mathew Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claimed to be the Director-General of ‘Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC)’.
NDC said the non-existent agency was allegedly used to siphon public funds, with the active collusion and facilitation by the Chief of Staff, Gbajabiamila, insisting this scandal raises fundamental questions about the level of transparency, accountability, and the integrity of the Tinubu administration.
National Publicity Secretary of NDC, Osa Director said, according to the allegations by Prince Adeyemi, the PFIPC received budgetary allocations in the 2026 budget and successfully opened a Domiciliary Account, a Pounds Sterling Account, and a Treasury Single Account (TSA), all domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the development is baffling, given that the Presidency has publicly disclaimed the existence of any such agency.
NDC demanded, “The immediate removal of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, to allow for a full, unbiased investigation, as his continued stay in office constitutes a clear conflict of interest and a threat to the integrity of any probe.
“The President should without delay constitute an independent investigative panel to thoroughly examine all aspects of this scandal, including the operations of the alleged PFIPC, budgetary allocations, account openings, staff approvals, and financial transactions.
“The panel must also investigate the mysterious death of Mr. Babatunde Tanimola and the assassination attempts on Prince Adeyemi, with a view to uncovering the full truth and bringing perpetrators to justice.
“The Chief of Staff should be compelled to produce all official documents signed since assuming office for forensic analysis. All relevant actors, including officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Office of the Accountant-General, and Head of Civil Service, should be questioned.
“The EFCC, ICPC, and Nigeria Police Force must immediately commence a full-scale investigation into this matter without fear or favour”.
NDC said it will not accept the usual tactic of issuing a mere defensive press release from the Presidency as a deflective ploy. Nigerians deserve to know the truth through a transparency process that promotes fairness and justice.
“The NDC finds it deeply troubling that an agency the Presidency claims does not exist could open multiple high-level financial accounts at the apex bank. For even an individual to open a domiciliary account, stringent documentation is required. How then was a fictitious agency able to open such accounts without the necessary documentations?
“Did the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation knowingly process forged documents? The Presidency owes Nigerians an urgent clarification on this matter.
“Equally disturbing is the claim that the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation approved 314 staff positions for this supposedly non-existent agency. The NDC wonders how such a significant administrative action could occur without the knowledge of the Presidency and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
“Is the Tinubu administration so clueless and incompetent that major decisions bypass its principal officers? More grievous is the allegation that the Chief of Staff demanded 48% of the agency’s take-off grant amounting to N27,395,510,136, a request Prince Adeyemi reportedly rejected which invariably resulted in a public spat. Adeyemi further admitted that he fraudulently secured his appointment through the Chief of Staff for the sum of N600 million, with N400 million allegedly paid through proxies to the Chief of staff, with a balance of N200 million outstanding, a default that reportedly contributed in triggering the current denial of the agency’s existence by aides of the President”, NDC cried out.
The political party said these are not mere allegations, but point to a disturbing pattern of institutionalised corruption, including the alleged sale of appointments to the highest bidders.
“The NDC believes this scandal further confirms that the current administration has entrenched and legitimised corruption as a way of governance in Nigeria.
“The situation is further compounded by the mysterious death of Mr. Babatunde Tanimola, the intermediary between Prince Adeyemi and the Chief of Staff, who reportedly died in a fire accident at a hotel in Utako, Abuja, on October 22, 2025, just a day after the Chief of Staff’s petition was received by the Police. Prince Adeyemi has also raised alarm over multiple assassination attempts on his life, including a brazen attack along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway on September 7, 2025”, NDC said.