The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has described the allegations linking the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) as politically motivated.
Wike made the remarks during his monthly media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, where he dismissed the claims as an attempt to discredit one of President Bola Tinubu’s closest aides.
The controversy followed claims by Adeniyi Adeyemi, who identified himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, an agency the Presidency has since declared non-existent. Adeyemi also alleged that Gbajabiamila played a role in his appointment.
Responding to calls by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for opposition parties to be involved in the investigation ordered by President Tinubu, Wike rejected the suggestion.
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“The demand by Atiku Abubakar is rubbish. When did the government start? When they want to put the person, okay, you from party A, come; party B, come; party C, come?” he said.
Wike said he had confidence in Gbajabiamila’s integrity and understanding of the responsibilities attached to the office of the Chief of Staff.
“Without any prejudice, I know the Chief of Staff very, very well,” he said.
According to the minister, senior government officials are often targeted by people seeking to embarrass the government.
“There are people you target in government to give a bad name to their boss. This is the Chief of Staff. This is the person who is in charge of finance and the Secretary to the Government. If you want to embarrass any government, these are the targets first,” Wike said.
He also questioned the credibility of the allegations, arguing that anyone with genuine evidence should present it before security agencies instead of fleeing.
“If the young man knows that he is correct, why run away? How can you come out to make such a statement, and then you run away? You need to be interrogated,” he said.
The minister recalled his own experience with what he described as an attempted blackmail, saying an individual once accused his son of being involved in a $2 million land transaction.
According to Wike, he refused to settle the matter privately and instead allowed security agencies to investigate the allegation.
“This is cheap blackmail. I will not allow that. I wouldn’t do it,” he said.
He maintained that anyone making serious allegations against public officials must be prepared to substantiate them before investigators.
“If it was indeed correct, eyeball to eyeball. Go to the security agency. Look at my communications with him. Look at the phone, I’ve been talking with him. Look at what we have done,” Wike said.
While defending Gbajabiamila, the FCT minister clarified that he was speaking based on his knowledge of the Chief of Staff’s official responsibilities rather than the details of the ongoing investigation.
“The Chief of Staff cannot create a budget. It is not possible,” he added.
Following the controversy, President Bola Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the allegations surrounding the purported agency and submit its findings within 30 days.