The Presidency has dismissed allegations linking the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, to an alleged appointment-for-cash scandal, describing the accuser, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, as an impostor already facing criminal prosecution for alleged forgery, impersonation and false representation.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Adeyemi allegedly paraded himself as the Director-General of a non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council cum Presidential Economic Advisory Council and used forged government documents to mislead public institutions.
The rebuttal followed recent claims by Adeyemi that Gbajabiamila allegedly demanded 48 per cent of a purported ₦27.4 billion take-off grant and collected ₦400 million through proxies to secure his appointment, with an alleged outstanding balance of ₦200 million.
Adeyemi had also alleged that the fallout over the alleged balance led to tension and assassination attempts on his life. He called on President Tinubu to set up an independent investigative panel comprising civil society and international organisations, compel Gbajabiamila to step aside, and publish the panel’s findings.
But the Presidency rejected the allegations, insisting that the purported agency does not exist under the Tinubu administration and that neither Gbajabiamila nor the Office of the Chief of Staff had any dealings with Adeyemi or the alleged council.
According to the statement, security agencies had been investigating Adeyemi since October 2025 after the Office of the Chief of Staff petitioned the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force over alleged forgery of official appointment letters purportedly issued from Gbajabiamila’s office.
“The attention of this office has been drawn to the activities of certain individuals and groups engaged in the forgery of official appointment letters purportedly issued from my office,” the Chief of Staff was quoted as saying in the petition.
“The above development not only constitutes a serious criminal act but also undermines the integrity of the Presidency and the credibility of official government communication.
“I therefore urge you to initiate a thorough investigation to identify and apprehend those involved and also to uncover the network facilitating the forgery.”
The Presidency said concerns over Adeyemi’s activities first came to light after officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council complained that another body appeared to be operating at cross-purposes with the council.
It added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also raised concern after Adeyemi allegedly convened a meeting with ambassadors in Abuja without official clearance or recourse to the ministry.
The statement said the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation later sought clarification on the status of the purported agency, prompting Gbajabiamila to deny any connection with Adeyemi or the council.
“Prince Adeniyi Matthew, Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, is unknown to any office, nor do we have any dealings with the said council,” Gbajabiamila was quoted as saying.
“My attention was drawn to a letter of this purported application, which is fake, and my office has instructed the police and other relevant security agencies to carry out investigations on the person and the entity he claims to represent.”
The Presidency maintained that the Office of the Chief of Staff does not make appointments into federal offices, explaining that such matters are handled through the appropriate government channels, including the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Onanuga said police investigations allegedly established that the agency Adeyemi claimed to head was fictitious and that documents recovered from him were forged.
According to the statement, Adeyemi was arrested on October 27, 2025, at his office in Abuja, after which searches were conducted at the office and at his residence in Suleja, where several documents and exhibits were allegedly recovered.
The Presidency further alleged that police discovered that Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, including nine opened in the names of fictitious agencies such as the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and Public Private Partnership.
It also alleged that Adeyemi fraudulently opened a Central Bank of Nigeria account by using fake documents to mislead the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
However, the Presidency said investigators established that no government funds were transferred into the CBN account.
Quoting the police report, the statement said: “The act of the suspect constitutes criminal forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence, thereby bringing the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President and the Presidency to disrepute before the public and international community.”
The Presidency said Adeyemi allegedly claimed during interrogation that one Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola helped him obtain the fake appointment letter.
Investigators were, however, said to have later discovered that Tanimola had died in a fire incident at Kachi Hotel in Abuja five days before Adeyemi’s arrest.
The statement added that Adeyemi and two other persons had since been arraigned before the Federal High Court, Abuja, on an eight-count charge bordering on alleged forgery, impersonation and false representation.
The matter is scheduled to come up in court on July 27, 2026.
Onanuga said Adeyemi’s recent public allegations against Gbajabiamila were made while he was on police bail and were inconsistent with the statement he allegedly made to investigators.
He said the latest claims prompted the Chief of Staff to issue a fresh disclaimer consistent with earlier advisories that Adeyemi was not a presidential appointee and that the purported council was unknown to government.
The Presidency urged politicians, media organisations and members of the public not to rely on Adeyemi’s allegations or weaponise them against Gbajabiamila while the matter remains before the court.
“Politicians and members of the public who are weaponising Adeyemi’s claim against the Chief of Staff should refrain from swallowing his narrative hook, line and sinker,” Onanuga said.
“They are advised to await the trial of Adeyemi and his accomplices, as well as the court’s judgement, as comments made today are sub judice.”
The Presidency maintained that the bribery allegations against the Chief of Staff remain unproven, while Adeyemi is currently standing trial over alleged forgery, impersonation and false representation.
It said the pending criminal proceedings before the Federal High Court would provide the proper forum for determining the allegations.
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