By Eshioromeh Sebastian
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, following allegations of a N27.4 billion budget fraud involving a non-existent government agency.
The controversy centres on the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), an agency that Gbajabiamila publicly disowned on June 11, 2026, claiming it “does not exist under this administration” and that no appointment had been made for its leadership.
However, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims to be the Director-General of the PFIPC, has contested this denial, pointing to official budget documents that list the agency on pages 50 and 51 of the 2026 Appropriation Act.
Adeyemi has also made explosive allegations that Gbajabiamila demanded a 48 per cent cut of the agency’s N27.4 billion take-off grant and collected N400 million through a proxy to secure his appointment.
Reacting to the unfolding scandal, Atiku Abubakar described the situation as a “colossal budgetary fraud” that cannot be swept under the carpet. He questioned how N27.4 billion could be allocated to an agency that the Chief of Staff claims does not exist .
“The Chief of Staff’s claim only created more problems for the government,” Atiku stated. “Allocating N27.4 billion to an agency that doesn’t exist puts question marks on the credibility of the entire 2026 national budget.”
The former Vice President recommended that Gbajabiamila be suspended pending an independent investigation to establish the full truth about the matter .
“Good governance is based on transparency and accountability, and you can’t achieve that by protecting your family and friends,” Atiku advised President Tinubu. “President Tinubu must lead by example by holding his Chief of Staff to the same standards of accountability as other public officials. N27 billion is not a joke. The rule of law must prevail in this issue” .
Adeyemi, who has called on President Tinubu to constitute an independent investigative panel, argues that the PFIPC has operated openly for nearly two years, with office accommodation at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja and bank accounts domiciled at the Central Bank of Nigeria .
“How can an agency that does not exist have a domiciliary account, a pounds account, and a Treasury Single Account at the CBN?” Adeyemi questioned.
He further argued that the budget process involves multiple layers of scrutiny, including executive coordination, ministerial inputs, Budget Office review, and consideration by the National Assembly.
The alleged appearance of the PFIPC in official budget documents therefore raises fundamental questions about the integrity of the entire budget preparation process .
Adeyemi also alleged that he survived an assassination attempt along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway on September 7, 2025, during which vital documents and phones were stolen. He claimed that security agencies were instructed from above not to pursue the matter.
He has also called for an investigation into the death of Babatunde Tanimola, whom he described as an intermediary between himself and Gbajabiamila .
“If I am wrong, let an independent process prove it. If Gbajabiamila is right, let the process also confirm it,” Adeyemi said.
The dispute has drawn scrutiny from accountability groups. The Accountability Response Group of Nigeria (ARGN) has questioned how the council could be referenced in budget documentation without prior objection from lawmakers or the Budget Office .
On June 22, 2026, a coalition of civil society organisations petitioned President Tinubu to take action against Gbajabiamila pending a transparent investigation .
As of the time of this report, neither the Presidency nor Gbajabiamila had publicly responded to the fresh allegations raised by Atiku or Adeyemi .
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