The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has found no evidence linking the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, to the appointment of Adeniyi Adeyemi as head of the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).
The development followed an investigation ordered by President Tinubu into the activities of the organisation, which presented itself as a government agency.
According to an interim report submitted to the President on August 6 and obtained by Premium Times on Tuesday, August 25, the ICPC established that Adeyemi was not appointed by the Federal Government and that the PFIPC had no legal basis for operating as a government institution.
Investigators alleged that Adeyemi fabricated an appointment letter dated March 2024 on State House letterhead. The document reportedly bore a signature purported to be that of Gbajabiamila.
However, the ICPC said its investigation uncovered no evidence that Gbajabiamila appointed Adeyemi or had any official dealings with him concerning the alleged council.
The commission also found no connection between the Office of the Chief of Staff, the State House, Adeyemi or the PFIPC.
The ICPC explained that the Office of the Chief of Staff does not directly issue appointment letters for heads of ministries, departments and agencies of government. Rather, it transmits presidential approvals to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, which is responsible for completing the formal appointment process.
As part of its investigation, the commission reviewed correspondence records from the Office of the Chief of Staff, including its dispatch records and electronic communication platforms.
Investigators reportedly found no correspondence involving Adeyemi or the PFIPC between 2024 and September 2025.
The commission also scrutinised documents allegedly used by Adeyemi to portray the PFIPC as an official government body.
Among the documents examined was a letter requesting an administrative code for the purported agency from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
The letter was allegedly signed by an individual identified as Akanbi Adewale, who was described as a Director of Administration and Support Services at the State House.
However, the ICPC found that no State House official by that name occupied such a position during the period under investigation.
Investigators further established that the State House does not have a department known as Administration and Support Services, noting that the relevant unit is officially called the Administration Department.
The commission also identified discrepancies between the letterhead used in Adeyemi’s documents and authentic State House letterheads. According to the investigators, the documents lacked some of the security features contained in genuine State House correspondence.
A forensic examination allegedly indicated that the signature attributed to Adewale was produced by Adeyemi.
The investigation also reportedly traced handwriting and signatures appearing on several documents linked to the PFIPC to Adeyemi.
Similarly, the signature attributed to Gbajabiamila on the purported appointment letter was found not to correspond with his official specimen signature.
The findings effectively cleared Gbajabiamila of any involvement in the alleged appointment, while raising further questions about the authenticity of the documents used to establish the purported investment council.
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