Fake’ DG insists appointment was genuine
Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who allegedly presented himself as the Director-General of the non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and Presidential Economic Advisory Council, has maintained that his appointment was genuine.
Adeyemi, who is facing charges over alleged conspiracy, forgery and impersonation, said the matter was already before a court and expressed confidence that he would be vindicated.
He stated this on Thursday during a telephone interview on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme.
Asked if he was evading the law, Adeyemi replied, “Not at all.”
On whether he was prepared to face trial, he said, “Definitely, if I am wrong, let the court of law do that; if I am right, let the court of law do the right thing. Do you know what? Since the matter is in the court, let the court of competent jurisdiction vindicate me because I am ready to clear my name. Let the court take its course. Since my lawyers are involved, everybody will follow us, they will monitor the whole thing. Let the court of competent jurisdiction do the needful.
“I have a letter of appointment. However, since the matter is in the court, I won’t be able to say much about it. I am on medication. I am a bit down, I am sick.”
Responding to a question on whether he considered himself a criminal, Adeyemi said, “No, I am not a criminal. However, the court will do justice to that.”
Addressing Nigerians, he questioned claims that the agency did not exist.
“I want Nigerians to know that, for one second, let us assume the agency does not exist, would I have the temerity, the audacity, to be going all over the country, meeting the heads of ministries, departments and agencies, if I know that the agency does not exist, or as they allege that I cooked up everything? No Nigerian can dare do that. I could not have summoned the courage to be going from one place to another for almost three years. Nigeria is not a banana republic,” he said.
For several months, Adeyemi operated openly in the name of the PFIPC.
The office reportedly hosted high-profile events and engaged with government agencies.
According to reports and his own earlier statements, the council reportedly secured a ₦1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 national budget.
But the Presidency on Wednesday dismissed Adeyemi’s claims of being DG and described him as an impostor facing criminal prosecution over an alleged forgery and impersonation scheme.
In a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency said police investigations found that Adeyemi forged a presidential appointment letter purportedly signed by Gbajabiamila, operated a fictitious government agency and maintained 34 bank accounts, including nine allegedly opened in the names of non-existent government bodies.
According to the Presidency, Adeyemi was arrested by the police on October 27, 2025, after Gbajabiamila petitioned security agencies over what he described as an elaborate forgery and impersonation scheme.
The statement said the Nigeria Police subsequently filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi and two alleged accomplices before the Federal High Court, Abuja, on charges including conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
The Presidency added that the case is scheduled to come up in court on July 27, 2026.
The Presidency also said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission had separately raised concerns over the activities of the purported agency before the police investigation commenced.
The rebuttal came after Adeyemi accused the Chief of Staff of demanding N27.4 billion, representing 48 per cent of the agency’s proposed take-off grant, and alleged that Gbajabiamila received N400 million through a proxy to facilitate his appointment, with an outstanding balance of N200 million.
“Adeyemi has also urged President Bola Tinubu to constitute an independent investigative panel to examine the allegations, review official documents relating to the disputed agencies and publish its findings.
He further called on the Chief of Staff to step aside pending the outcome of the investigation.”
