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The Presidency has accused Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi of exploiting public concerns about corruption to shield himself from criminal prosecution while attempting to implicate the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, in the ongoing Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) controversy. In a statement posted on X, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, described Adeyemi as an “irredeemable con artist” who is using corruption allegations as a distraction from the fraud charges against him.
Ajayi said investigators from the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have been directed to identify and prosecute government officials who allegedly enabled Adeyemi to operate a fictitious presidential agency, forge appointment letters, maintain 34 bank accounts in the names of non-existent government bodies, host foreign diplomats, and open a Central Bank of Nigeria account without immediate detection. He maintained that while there were institutional failures, the same system eventually uncovered the alleged fraud after complaints were raised by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The statement is the Presidency’s latest response to allegations by Adeyemi that Gbajabiamila demanded bribes and sought a share of the PFIPC’s proposed take-off funds. The Presidency has consistently denied the allegations, insisting that the PFIPC is not a recognised government agency and that Adeyemi’s claims are an attempt to derail ongoing investigations. Authorities say investigations will continue to determine the role of any internal collaborators while those found culpable will face prosecution.
