Atiku Pushes for Independent PFIPC Scandal Probe, Questions ICPC's Role

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who was the African Democratic Congress's presidential flagbearer, on Wednesday, voiced his disapproval of President Bola Tinubu’s instruction for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC). Atiku firmly stated that only an impartial commission of inquiry could truly restore public trust in the unfolding matter.

He contended that the President's directive, issued merely days after Atiku himself had given a seven-day ultimatum for a probe into the alleged scandal, served as an implicit acknowledgment that the Nigeria Police's previous investigations were insufficient. In a press release signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President highlighted that the Presidency's recent move exposed glaring inconsistencies with its earlier stance, which maintained that the issue had already undergone thorough investigation.

Just a week prior, the Presidency had assured Nigerians that the police had indeed investigated the matter following petitions from the Chief of Staff in October 2025. They had further claimed that a suspect was apprehended, searches conducted, documentary evidence recovered, bank accounts traced, statements obtained, and criminal charges filed before the Federal High Court. “If all of that is true, what exactly is the ICPC expected to spend another 30 days investigating?” Atiku questioned. “If the police investigation was comprehensive, another investigation is unnecessary. If another investigation has become necessary, then the inevitable conclusion is that the earlier investigation was insufficient. The president cannot simultaneously maintain both positions without contradicting his own government,” the statement partly read.

It is recalled that President Tinubu had instructed the ICPC to delve into the activities surrounding the alleged PFIPC after reports surfaced about individuals purportedly operating under the guise of a presidential intervention body with alleged ties to the Presidency. This directive came amidst increasing public scrutiny and demands from opposition figures for a transparent inquiry into the affair.

However, Atiku maintained that the President’s directive to investigate the “wider circumstances” surrounding the alleged body contradicted the government’s earlier assertion that the incident merely involved a single individual impersonating government officials. “That directive is, in itself, a repudiation of the earlier narrative that this was merely the handiwork of one alleged impostor,” he asserted.

He further elaborated, “The issue before Nigerians is no longer whether one individual allegedly forged documents. The issue is how an organisation the Presidency insists never existed allegedly acquired office accommodation, interacted with government institutions, sought diplomatic recognition, reportedly conducted recruitment exercises, operated multiple bank accounts and projected the authority of government over an extended period.” Atiku concluded, “Institutions do not accidentally confer legitimacy. Bureaucracies do not unknowingly sustain official-looking operations for months. Somewhere between the Presidency’s denials and the appearance of official legitimacy lies the truth Nigerians deserve to know.”

Atiku also challenged the 30-day timeframe allocated to the anti-graft agency, arguing that this particular case was not a fresh investigation warranting such an extended period. “This is not a fresh crime scene. It is not a newly discovered fraud. It is a matter the presidency insists had already been thoroughly investigated. If that claim is true, the ICPC should not require another month to rediscover what the police supposedly established months ago. Nigerians deserve answers within days, not another cycle of delay,” he added.

He went on to question the official sequence of events, pointing to reports that the father of the primary suspect was only arrested last week, despite the Presidency's insistence that investigations had been concluded long ago. He remarked, “While the Presidency insists the investigation had effectively been concluded months ago, reports indicate that the father of the principal suspect was only arrested last week. That development naturally raises questions about the status and scope of the investigation.”

Atiku firmly held that an investigation carried out by a federal government agency could not meet public expectations of impartiality, primarily because the government itself stands at the core of the controversy. “What Nigerians demanded was never another internal government investigation. We demanded an independent investigation,” he stated. “The Federal Government is itself central to this controversy because the questions being asked concern the conduct of public institutions, official processes and possible institutional failures. In every constitutional democracy, a party whose conduct is under scrutiny cannot simultaneously appoint itself investigator, judge and final authority over its own case,” Atiku added.

The ADC presidential candidate also raised concerns about the appointment of a senior presidency official, whose name he noted had been publicly linked to the controversy, as the chairman of the implementation committee on state police. He argued that such appointments could erode public confidence in the ongoing investigation.

To properly address the situation, Atiku advocated for the immediate establishment of a Special Independent Commission of Inquiry. He suggested this body should comprise representatives nominated by the federal government, the ADC, the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), civil society organisations, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), retired judicial officers, and other distinguished Nigerians. According to him, this panel should be tasked with reviewing existing police findings, summoning relevant public officials, investigating every facet of the alleged PFIPC affair, and publishing its report directly to Nigerians within one month. “That is the minimum standard of transparency Nigerians should accept,” he declared. “Anything less will leave the unavoidable impression that the government prefers to investigate itself behind closed doors rather than submit to genuinely independent scrutiny.”

The former Vice President also implored President Tinubu to hold himself to the same standard of accountability he expects from others, suggesting that unresolved public questions surrounding aspects of the President’s personal records should also be addressed with transparency. He concluded that the entire controversy had moved beyond just the alleged principal suspect to encompass broader questions about the integrity of public institutions. “The issue before the nation is no longer Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi. The issue is whether public institutions were compromised, whether official processes were abused, and whether the government has the courage to permit an independent inquiry that follows the evidence wherever it leads. That is the only path to public confidence. Anything short of that will inevitably deepen public suspicion rather than restore public trust,” he asserted.