By Seun Ibiyemi
The Senate on Wednesday declined to immediately investigate the inclusion of the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) in the 2026 Appropriation Act, opting instead to await the outcome of an ongoing investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The decision followed a motion sponsored by Senator Kawu Sumaila (APC, Kano South), who called for a legislative investigation into how the purported agency secured a N1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 national budget despite the Federal Government’s insistence that it was never established.
The development comes barely 24 hours after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed the ICPC to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the activities of the alleged PFIPC, which the Presidency has maintained has no legal backing.
Presenting the motion during plenary, Sumaila said the controversy surrounding the alleged agency had raised serious concerns about the integrity of Nigeria’s budget preparation and appropriation process.
He noted that although the Presidency had publicly disowned the PFIPC, the organisation was listed in the 2026 Appropriation Act under Budget Code 0111062001 with a budgetary allocation of N1.3 billion.
“Senate notes that notwithstanding the executive’s public disapproval of this agency, the entity was incorporated in the 2026 Appropriation Act under Code 0111062001 with a budgetary allocation of N1.3 billion,” he said.
The lawmaker urged the upper chamber to investigate how the budget proposal was introduced, scrutinised and eventually approved, while also determining whether any funds had been released or spent under the budget line.
Responding, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who presided over the session, said the Presidency had already referred the matter to the ICPC for investigation.
“As I said earlier, the Presidency has taken up this matter by directing that the ICPC should investigate fully how this matter came to be,” Barau said.
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He urged lawmakers to allow the anti-corruption agency to conclude its investigation before the Senate considers any legislative action.
“I believe that what we need to do at this stage is to have the report of the ICPC, and then we can act on that report and deal with it as we feel appropriate,” he added.
The controversy intensified after Adeyemi Adeniyi Matthew publicly disputed the Presidency’s position that the PFIPC never existed.
During a media briefing last week, Adeyemi alleged that references to both the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act, raising questions about the budget process.
He also accused the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, of demanding money in connection with his purported appointment, alleging that N400 million was received through intermediaries with an additional request for N200 million.
The allegations have not been substantiated, and Gbajabiamila has consistently denied any involvement.
The Senate’s decision to await the ICPC’s findings signals a cautious approach as the controversy continues to generate debate over transparency and accountability in the country’s budgetary process.
