Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has moved to tell his side of the story in the raging fake Agency scandal, denying any personal, official or financial dealings with Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-styled Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).
MJConcept TV News reports that Adeyemi had, at a press conference last month, made weighty allegations against Gbajabiamila, accusing him of bribery, abuse of office, criminal cover-up and even making claims bordering on murder.
Adeyemi alleged that he paid an upfront sum of N200 million to secure the PFIPC job and claimed that another N200 million balance was being expected. He also accused the Chief of Staff of demanding a share of the Council’s alleged take-off grant and receiving money through proxies.
But Gbajabiamila, through his lawyers, has strongly denied the allegations, insisting that he has never met, communicated with or had any form of relationship with Adeyemi.
In a cease-and-desist letter issued on his behalf by Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, the Chief of Staff demanded that Adeyemi pull down all materials relating to the allegations, including transcripts, videos and recordings, from all platforms where they were published.
Gbajabiamila also demanded a full retraction and apology to be published in at least five national newspapers and across all social media platforms through which Adeyemi’s press conference was circulated. He further asked for a written undertaking that Adeyemi would stop making further publications against him.
Pinheiro, in the letter, described Adeyemi’s allegations as “malicious, reckless and entirely without factual foundation,” saying they were designed to portray Gbajabiamila as “corrupt, morally bankrupt, and a murderer”.
The letter warned that if Adeyemi failed to comply within 72 hours of receiving it, Gbajabiamila would proceed with legal action, including a criminal petition for defamation under laws applicable in the Federal Capital Territory.
“You have never at any time met, interacted with, communicated with, or had any form of personal or official dealing whatsoever with him,” the lawyers wrote on behalf of the Chief of Staff.
They added that Adeyemi’s decision to “fabricate and publish allegations against a person with whom you have had absolutely no relationship or interaction underscores the reckless, baseless and malicious nature of your publication.”
Gbajabiamila’s legal team also argued that Adeyemi’s press conference was especially troubling because criminal proceedings had already been filed against him.
“It is even more disturbing to our client that you resorted to defaming him through your press statements after a criminal Charge had been filed against you,” the letter stated, noting that the allegations made at the June 25 press conference touched directly on matters already before the Court.
“Trial by media remains unknown to Nigerian law and cannot be a substitute for due process,” the lawyers added.
The letter further warned that failure to comply with the demands would lead not only to criminal defamation proceedings but also to a civil suit seeking N10 billion in aggravated and exemplary damages. The damages, according to the letter, would be paid to a charity of Gbajabiamila’s choice.
Gbajabiamila’s lawyers also said they would seek a perpetual injunction restraining Adeyemi from making further allegations and a court order compelling him to publish the demanded apology.
The controversy has deepened public scrutiny of the PFIPC, which was listed in the 2026 Appropriation Act as the Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council. The council reportedly received more than N1.3 billion in budget allocations, including about N803 million for personnel costs, N200 million for overhead and N300 million for capital expenditure.
The matter has already attracted political and legal attention, with human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, faulting any attempt by the Presidency to exonerate anyone involved. Falana argued that the Presidency lacked the constitutional authority to clear any of the parties and called for an independent investigation into both Gbajabiamila and Adeyemi.
For now, Gbajabiamila’s position is clear: he says he never met Adeyemi, never dealt with him and had no role in the allegations being circulated around the controversial PFIPC.
But with Adeyemi’s claims, Gbajabiamila’s threat of legal action, the budgetary questions surrounding PFIPC and calls for an independent probe, the fake agency scandal appears far from over.