Paul Ibe, Media Adviser to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his directive ordering the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) without first suspending officials allegedly connected to the controversy.
In a post shared on his X handle on Tuesday, Ibe argued that the President should have directed those implicated in the matter, including his Chief of Staff, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, to step aside while the investigation is ongoing.
He said, “It was flagrantly wrong for President Tinubu to ask the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the fake Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) without asking the key suspects, including his Chief of Staff, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila to go on suspension pending the conclusion of the investigation.”
He added, “Not suspending all those involved in the #GbajaGate scandal is akin to them being a judge in their own case.
Their continued stay in office while the investigation is going on, gives them the opportunity to interfere with the investigation process.”
Tinubu had earlier instructed the ICPC to carry out a thorough probe into the PFIPC after the Presidency declared the council to be a non-existent body that lacked legal backing and had never received presidential approval. The anti-graft agency was also given 30 days to submit its findings.
The controversy surrounding the PFIPC intensified after Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who identifies himself as the council’s Director-General, alleged that he paid N600 million, including N400 million through intermediaries, to secure the appointment. He also accused Gbajabiamila of requesting 48 per cent of the agency’s take-off grant.
Despite the allegations, the Presidency has maintained that Adeyemi is an impostor and insisted the PFIPC does not exist.
However, questions remain over claims that the council received a N1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act and allegedly opened accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Ibe’s remarks come amid growing calls for action against the President’s Chief of Staff. The Nigeria Democratic Congress and former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, have also demanded that Gbajabiamila be suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.