The embattled Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Prince Mathew Adeniyi Adeyemi, on Tuesday denied ever meeting Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, in person, insisting that only a thorough and independent investigation could establish the truth about the allegations surrounding the controversial agency.
Adeyemi made the disclosure during a telephone interview with social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, saying he could neither confirm nor deny the Chief of Staff’s involvement in the controversy.
His remarks came barely three days after Gbajabiamila, through his lawyer, Chief Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), threatened legal action over allegations linking him to the PFIPC controversy.
Responding to questions during the interview, Adeyemi said he never held a one-on-one meeting with the Chief of Staff.
When asked by VeryDarkMan whether he had at any point met Gbajabiamila personally to discuss the affairs of the council, Adeyemi replied, “No.”
He, however, said he spoke with someone he believed to be the Chief of Staff on about three occasions over the telephone through his late associate, Dolapo Tanimola.
Asked how he was certain he had spoken directly with Gbajabiamila since the conversations were not conducted through a video call, Adeyemi admitted he could not independently verify the identity of the person at the other end of the line.
When VeryDarkMan suggested that it was possible the Chief of Staff was not involved at all, Adeyemi agreed.
“Of course! Yes,” he responded.
On whether Gbajabiamila was lying or genuinely unaware of the alleged activities surrounding the PFIPC, Adeyemi said he was not in a position to make such a determination.
“I wouldn’t say he is lying and I wouldn’t say he is saying the truth,” he stated.
He explained that his uncertainty was one of the reasons he had consistently called on President Bola Tinubu to order an independent investigation into the controversy.
Adeyemi is currently standing trial over allegations relating to the operation of the PFIPC, an organisation the Presidency has described as non-existent. The case is expected to resume before the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 14.
The controversy escalated after Adeyemi alleged at a press conference that Gbajabiamila demanded 48 per cent of the council’s proposed N27.4 billion take-off grant, amounting to about N12.5 billion, and also received N400 million linked to appointments within the organisation.
The Chief of Staff has denied the allegations, maintaining that he never had any dealings with Adeyemi either directly or through any intermediary, and has threatened a N10 billion defamation suit against him.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the PFIPC controversy and submit its findings within 30 days.
Adeyemi also disclosed during the interview that he intended to surrender himself to either the Nigeria Police Force or the Department of State Services (DSS).
