The Senate on Wednesday again turned down a request to investigate the controversial budget allocation linked to the alleged Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, insisting that the matter is already before the court and under investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
The decision came as the controversy took a new turn with a public disagreement between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Presidency over how the case should be handled. While Atiku called for an independent investigation outside the executive arm of government, the Presidency maintained that the ICPC inquiry ordered by President Bola Tinubu was enough to uncover the facts.
The debate followed the arrest of Adeniyi Adeyemi, who presented himself as the Director-General of the alleged council. He was arrested by the Nigeria Police Force on Tuesday after failing to appear before a Federal High Court in Abuja over charges bordering on conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
Adeyemi is also at the centre of allegations involving the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila. He had claimed that he was asked to pay a ₦400 million bribe and surrender 48 per cent of the proposed ₦27.4 billion take-off grant for the council. Following the controversy, President Tinubu directed the ICPC to investigate the entire matter and submit its findings within 30 days.
Reacting to the development, Atiku questioned how an organisation that the Presidency now says does not exist allegedly operated from government offices, recruited staff, received diplomatic recognition and secured public funds.
He also raised concerns over another budget provision of ₦6.44 billion reportedly set aside for a Special Presidential Support Group for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, even though Nigeria had already failed to qualify for the tournament before the budget was prepared.
According to him, the allocation raises fresh concerns about the country’s budget process and deserves public scrutiny.
The former vice president argued that the investigation being handled by the ICPC would not convince Nigerians because it was ordered by the same government whose officials had been mentioned in the controversy. He called on the National Assembly to establish a bipartisan panel to investigate every aspect of the scandal and urged the Nigerian Bar Association, civil society groups and members of the diplomatic community to demand a transparent process.
The Presidency dismissed Atiku’s position, insisting that the ICPC is the appropriate institution to handle the matter under Nigerian law. Presidential spokesman Temitope Ajayi questioned why Atiku would reject the authority of a government agency established to investigate corruption, adding that the commission should be allowed to complete its assignment without interference.
Meanwhile, the Senate maintained its earlier decision not to launch a separate investigation. Senator Suleiman Kawu, who represents Kano South, made another attempt to convince lawmakers to probe how the alleged agency received a ₦1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 budget despite questions surrounding its existence.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio ruled that the request could not be granted because the matter is already before a competent court and is also being investigated by the ICPC. He said beginning another investigation at the legislative level while other processes are ongoing would not be appropriate.
Kawu had argued that the Senate has a constitutional duty to examine how the allocation found its way into the national budget and determine who defended the agency before lawmakers. Despite his renewed appeal, senators stood by their earlier position and declined to reopen the issue.
Further details also emerged about Adeyemi’s arrest. Security sources said operatives of the Intelligence Response Team tracked him for about five days after he arrived in Osun State. The officers, who were already deployed to the state for another security assignment, monitored his movements before arresting him near Ilesa.
The sources disclosed that Adeyemi had earlier stayed in Ibadan, Oyo State, where operatives of the Department of State Services also monitored him but did not arrest him. After his capture in Osun, police officers quietly moved him through Ibadan before taking him to Abuja to avoid drawing public attention.
The Federal Government has already filed criminal charges against Adeyemi, who is facing allegations of forgery, impersonation and obtaining money under false pretences, while investigations into the wider controversy continue.