The Senate on Wednesday declined to begin a fresh investigation into the controversial N1.3 billion budget allocation made to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC, choosing instead to wait for the outcome of the investigation already ordered by President Bola Tinubu and being handled by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
The decision followed concerns raised during plenary by Senator Kawu Sumaila, who represents Kano South. He called on the Senate to investigate how the PFIPC, which the Presidency has described as a non-existent agency, was included in the 2026 Appropriation Act with a budget allocation of over N1.3 billion.
As the senator attempted to present his motion, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who presided over the session, interrupted him and explained that such an issue should come before the chamber as a substantive motion rather than under a point of order.
Despite the observation, Sumaila argued that the matter directly affected the credibility of the National Assembly and the country’s budget process. He said the allocation to an agency that the Presidency had publicly disowned raised serious questions about the preparation, screening and approval of the national budget.
According to him, the budget allocation covered personnel costs of more than N800 million, overhead expenses exceeding N200 million and capital expenditure of over N300 million.
He maintained that such an allocation to an agency whose legal status had been questioned could weaken public confidence in the appropriation process and expose weaknesses in legislative oversight.
The senator proposed that the Senate Committees on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, together with the Committee on Appropriations, investigate how the allocation was included in the budget, approved during the appropriation process and whether any money had already been released or spent. He also requested an inquiry into whether any bank accounts had been opened or operated in connection with the allocation.
The Senate leadership, however, rejected the proposal. Deputy Senate President Barau told lawmakers that the Presidency had already directed the ICPC to investigate the matter and that the anti-corruption agency had started its work. He said it would be more appropriate for the Senate to wait for the commission’s findings before deciding whether additional legislative action was necessary.
The PFIPC controversy began after President Tinubu ordered the ICPC to investigate the activities of the council, which the Presidency said was never established by the Federal Government and has no legal backing. The President instructed the commission to complete its investigation and submit its report within 30 days.
The investigation is expected to examine allegations involving forged appointment letters, official government documents and claims that Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew falsely presented himself as the Director-General of the council.
The probe will also cover allegations that he sought official recognition and diplomatic support using the claimed appointment, opened bank accounts in the names of government agencies with allegedly forged documents and exploited gaps that allowed the council to appear legitimate.