The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, has found no evidence linking Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila to Adeniyi Adeyemi’s appointment as Director-General of the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, PFIPC.
The commission said its investigation established that Adeyemi allegedly forged an appointment letter dated March 2024 using a fake State House letterhead and attributed the signature on the document to Gbajabiamila.
According to the ICPC, there was also no evidence that Adeyemi was appointed by the Chief of Staff or had any direct engagement with him.
The commission said its findings showed no connection between Gbajabiamila, his office, the State House and Adeyemi or anyone acting on behalf of the purported council.
The investigation followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a probe into the PFIPC after questions emerged over the activities of the purported agency.
In an interim report submitted to the President on August 6 and obtained by Premium Times, the ICPC said the PFIPC was not established by any law, executive order or other valid government instrument. The commission recommended Adeyemi’s prosecution over alleged forgery, impersonation and related offences.
The ICPC said investigators examined whether Adeyemi was genuinely appointed to head the PFIPC, the authenticity of the appointment letter he presented and the role of the Office of the Chief of Staff in the appointment process.
The commission established that the Office of the Chief of Staff does not issue appointment letters to political appointees or heads of ministries, departments and agencies.
Instead, its role is to communicate presidential approvals to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, which is responsible for issuing the relevant appointment letters.
Investigators also reviewed the Chief of Staff’s official correspondence records, including its dispatch system and Automated Correspondence Management platform.
The review reportedly found no record of correspondence involving Adeyemi or the PFIPC between 2024 and September 2025.
The first official inquiry into the purported agency came in October 2025, when the Office of the National Security Adviser sought clarification on its status.
After confirming that the PFIPC had no legal basis, the Office of the Chief of Staff wrote to the Inspector-General of Police requesting an investigation.
The investigation also uncovered other documents allegedly presented as official State House correspondence. The ICPC said its review of State House records between 2023 and 2026 found no Director of Administration named Akanbi Adewale.
A letter bearing Adewale’s name had reportedly been used to request an administrative code for the PFIPC from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
Investigators found that Adewale was not a State House employee and had not been deployed there during the period under investigation.
The commission also found that the State House had no department known as the “Administration and Support Services”, as stated in the disputed correspondence.
According to the ICPC, the relevant department is officially designated the “Administration Department”.
A visual examination of the documents further revealed differences between genuine State House letterheads and those used in the correspondence presented by Adeyemi.
The commission said the disputed letterhead lacked security features found on authentic State House documents and therefore did not originate from the State House.
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Forensic handwriting analysis also reportedly established that the signature attributed to Adewale was fabricated by Adeyemi.
The ICPC said the handwriting and signature on the disputed document were consistent with those found on other correspondence linked to Adeyemi.
Investigators consequently concluded that the letter used to obtain an administrative code from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation was forged.
The commission also found that the signature purportedly belonging to Gbajabiamila on Adeyemi’s appointment letter differed from the Chief of Staff’s specimen signature.
Gbajabiamila had previously denied writing, authorizing or signing any of the documents presented as State House correspondence concerning the PFIPC.
Beyond the alleged forgery, the ICPC identified weaknesses in the verification processes of several government institutions.
The commission said ministries, departments and agencies failed to conduct adequate checks when dealing with the purported agency.
It noted that the failure to independently verify documents before acting on them allowed the alleged fraud to continue and gave the PFIPC an appearance of legitimacy.
The purported agency reportedly secured office space at the Federal Secretariat, obtained government recognition, opened accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria and had civil servants deployed to work there.
The ICPC said these developments demonstrated significant gaps in the verification and administrative processes of government institutions.
Adeyemi has denied wrongdoing and maintained that he would defend himself against the allegations.
He had previously claimed that Gbajabiamila was involved in his appointment and alleged that he paid money to an individual he believed was the Chief of Staff.
However, in a subsequent interview, Adeyemi reportedly softened his position, saying he could not state with certainty whether Gbajabiamila was involved in issuing the purported appointment letter.
Gbajabiamila has consistently denied the allegations. He later petitioned law enforcement authorities and filed a N15 billion defamation suit against Adeyemi.
Following President Tinubu’s directive, Gbajabiamila appeared before the ICPC in July and answered questions from investigators as part of the probe.
The commission has now concluded that there was no evidence connecting him, his office or the State House to Adeyemi or the PFIPC.
Instead, investigators said their forensic examination linked the disputed appointment documents and other purported State House correspondence directly to Adeyemi.
Adeyemi is separately facing criminal charges over the activities of the PFIPC. He was charged alongside two other defendants, who are reportedly at large, over allegations including forgery and impersonation.
The investigation into the PFIPC has also led authorities to uncover another suspected fake agency, the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office.
The entity allegedly operated within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. President Tinubu subsequently ordered the suspension of three permanent secretaries and the arrest of the agency’s alleged promoter, George Buchi Nwabueze.
ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu said investigators found that Nwabueze allegedly operated under several variations of his name and that suspected collaborators within the OSGF may have been involved.
The commission said forged legislative instruments were allegedly used to create an appearance of legitimacy around the entities and facilitate the opening of bank accounts in their names.
The discovery has widened concerns over weaknesses in government verification and oversight mechanisms, particularly how individuals can allegedly establish purported government agencies and gain access to public institutions without proper legal authorization.
The ICPC’s findings therefore not only clear Gbajabiamila of any established connection to the PFIPC but also highlight broader concerns about the safeguards needed to prevent similar incidents within Nigeria’s public administration.
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