The Atiku Media Office Thursday doubled down on its call for proper investigation of allegations of bribery against the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila by Prince Adeyemi Matthew.
Mr. Matthew claimed to be the Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC.
Earlier in the week, the Atiku Media Office urged President Bola Tinubu to suspend Gbajabiamila, calling for independent investigation of the allegations.
However, the Presidency, through the Special Adviser to President, Communication and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Wednesday, dismissed the allegations, describing the PFIPC as “fictitious.”
Reacting to Onanuga’s statement, the Atiku Media Office asked the Presidency “to come clean on many unanswered posers” surrounding the issue.
Titled:”#GbajabiamilaGate Scandal: Is PFIPC a Princely Scam or Tinubu-led APC Government a Monumental Scam,” the statement read:
“The beleaguered and scandal-prone government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should not continue to sweep under the carpet or treat as ‘family affairs’ the litany of unforced fraud and corruption errors bedeviling the administration – the latest being the alleged monumental scam of a ‘ghost Federal Government Agency’ in the heart of the presidency.
“Presidential Spokesman, Mr Bayo Onanuga had in his disclaimer on Wednesday labelled one Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew and his Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) a fraud. But we challenge the APC administration to come clean on many unanswered posers.
“Well-meaning Nigerians would want an independent probe of this, and other hidden scams at the seat of Tinubu’s government.
“How did an unknown state actor manage to create and reside a federal government agency in the Federal Secretariat, which is under the supervision of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, without being detected?
“How did he secure a budgetary code and allocation of N1.3 billion in the 2026 national budget”?
Pointing out that Mr. Adeyemi Matthew met with key officials of government as DG, PFIPC, the Atiku Media Office said such a person could not be dismissed.
“We must never forget in a hurry that this same man met with key officials of the state and heads of government agencies, including the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu and Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olanipekun Olukoyede.
“He also met with traditional rulers, diplomats and prospective investors. Prince Adeyemi operated in the full glare of the public and not as a ghost.
“The argument that Adeyemi’s PFIPC is a ghost agency is not tenable considering that there is evidence that the Senate and House and Representatives had official communication with the so-called non-existent agency,” the Atiku Media Office said.
Insisting that Gbajabiamila and others caught in the web of the allegations must be held accountable, the Atiku Media Office said the issue cannot be dismissed with a mere press statement.
“The Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and others alleged to be involved in this scandal cannot excuse themselves with a mere press statement. Public servants and political leaders must be accountable for their stewardship. We demand a forensic public probe. No amount of government-speak or scented propaganda can clear this mess.
“By the way, the presidency’s disclaimer did not clear the air on the N400 million bribe Prince Adeyemi allegedly claimed he gave to Gbajabiamila.”
The Atiku Media Office also noted the death of Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola who was an alleged intermediary between Adeyemi Matthew and Gbajabiamila.
“Lest we forget, there’s the mysterious death of Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, who served as the alleged intermediary and go-between for Adeyemi in the bribery and appointment scandal involving the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
“This is why a comprehensive probe into the #GbajabiamilaGate scandal is a necessity.
“The Tinubu-led APC administration claimed that Adeyemi is a con artist, but Bayo Onanuga’s statement has only confirmed what many have long speculated: that the Tinubu presidency is a monumental scam, entangled in a thick web of scandalous activities, mostly unresolved.
“The Tinubu presidency cannot continue to be judges in cases involving themselves or their cronies. Nigerians are tired of a series of unresolved scandals under the watch of Tinubu.
“If justice must be seen to have been done, Prince Adeyemi’s situation should become a reference point. His trial must be swift and thorough. And key elements in the executive and legislature should be invited to state their roles in the high-wire scam.
“We demand a judicial foreclosure of this issue before the 2027 General Elections, in order to guard against a breach of public trust and voters apathy,” the Atiku Media Office stated.
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