The Presidency has exonerated Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, over bribery allegations made by a man who claimed to be the director general of a presidential council. Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga described the accuser as a fraudster who fabricated his own government appointment.
Accuser Identified as Fraudster
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Onanuga identified the accuser as Adeyemi Adeniyi Matthew, who had been parading himself as the head of a body called the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council. The Presidency stated that this council does not exist.
Adeyemi had publicly accused Gbajabiamila of demanding a N27.4 billion take-off grant allocated to the council. He further alleged that Gbajabiamila collected N400 million through a proxy to secure his appointment, with a balance of N200 million outstanding. Adeyemi called on President Tinubu to constitute an independent investigative panel to compel the Chief of Staff to produce all official documents he had signed since assuming office.
Presidency's Rebuttal
Onanuga stated that Gbajabiamila's office first raised the alarm about the fraudulent agency after the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council complained that another body appeared to be operating in conflict with its mandate. On October 17, the Chief of Staff wrote to the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police, requesting an investigation into individuals forging appointment letters from his office.
The statement noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had grown suspicious of Adeyemi after he convened a meeting with ambassadors at the Wells Carlton Hotel and Apartments in Asokoro on October 10, 2025, without any clearance from the ministry. In a letter dated October 15 and signed by Ambassador Anderson Madubuike, the ministry sought clarification from the National Security Adviser and the Chief of Staff on the status of Adeyemi's agency.
Police Investigation Findings
Onanuga was unequivocal: "The Chief of Staff could not have issued a letter of appointment to a non-existent agency. Moreover, the Chief of Staff does not make appointments or write letters, as these are the exclusive preserve of the Office of the Secretary of the Government of the Federation."
Following a police investigation, officers determined that the agency was entirely fictitious, that Adeyemi had forged his appointment letter and other recovered documents, and that he had falsely applied for a note verbal from the Foreign Affairs Ministry to obtain United States visas for himself and staff members.
Investigators also found that Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, nine of which were opened under the names of fake government agencies, including the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and Public Private Partnership. The police further established that he used forged documents to open a Central Bank of Nigeria account by misleading the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, though no government funds were transferred into it.
Atiku Calls for Suspension
Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has asked President Bola Tinubu to suspend Femi Gbajabiamila. In a statement by Atiku's media office on Tuesday afternoon, June 30, Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 elections, advised President Tinubu to "lead by example by holding his own appointees accountable for their actions."
