Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Senate has declared that it will not intervene in the ongoing controversy surrounding the disowned Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) unless a formal petition is submitted to the Red Chamber, insisting that the dispute is an executive matter that should be resolved within the Presidency. Yemi Adaramodu, Senate spokesperson and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, made the clarification on Tuesday, 7 July 2026, while addressing journalists after plenary in Abuja.
According to Adaramodu, the Senate has not received any petition from the parties involved or from any concerned Nigerian to warrant legislative intervention. "The allegations and counter-allegations over fake agency and fake director-general are all within the executive, which should be sorted out by it, specifically between the office of the Chief of Staff and the alleged fake DG," Adaramodu said. He acknowledged that the alleged agency had a budget line of over N1.3 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act, but stressed that the National Assembly neither created nor inserted the agency into the budget. "The budget line being referred to was not created or inserted by the National Assembly, and it is not the duty of the Senate or the House of Representatives to carry out security checks on those supposedly appointed to head the various MDAs," he added.
The Senate spokesperson further noted that if the alleged Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, had been a presidential nominee requiring Senate confirmation, the upper chamber might have had a basis to be directly involved. "If the alleged fake DG were to be one of the presidential appointees screened and confirmed by the Senate, the controversy might have been perceived to be somewhat linked to us," Adaramodu said. He also pointed out that the matter has already become the subject of litigation, making it inappropriate for the Senate to comment further in line with parliamentary practice. "However, if a petition is sent to the Senate by any of the feuding parties or any concerned Nigerian on the existence or non-existence of the agency or DG, it would be legislatively looked into," he added.
The Senate's position comes amid intense public scrutiny over the PFIPC scandal, which centres on allegations by Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims to be the agency's Director-General, that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, demanded bribes in connection with his appointment and the agency's budget. Adeyemi has alleged that Gbajabiamila collected N400 million from him to facilitate his appointment and later demanded 48 per cent of the N1.3 billion allegedly appropriated for the agency. The Presidency has dismissed the allegations and insisted that the PFIPC is not a recognised government agency. Adeyemi is currently standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges bordering on conspiracy, forgery and impersonation, while the Federal Government has listed Gbajabiamila and 10 others as prosecution witnesses in the case.
The controversy has also raised questions about how the N1.3 billion allocation found its way into the 2026 budget despite the Presidency's denial of the agency's existence. Reports have indicated that the allocation was approved without Adeyemi or any official of the council appearing before the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service to defend the budget proposal. The Senate has distanced itself from the allocation, insisting that it originated from the executive arm of government. As the legal proceedings continue and public pressure mounts, the Senate has made it clear that it will only act if a formal petition is submitted, leaving the ball in the court of the feuding parties or concerned Nigerians to trigger legislative intervention.
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