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The presidency has accused Adeniyi Adeyemi, convener of a purported presidential foreign intervention promotion council, of forging an appointment letter and falsely presenting himself as a presidential appointee.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said Adeyemi headed the fictitious presidential foreign intervention promotion council, an agency the federal government said does not exist.
The statement follows recent allegations by Adeyemi that Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to President Bola Tinubu, demanded a N400 million bribe.
‘CHIEF OF STAFF PETITIONED SECURITY AGENCIES’
Onanuga said Gbajabiamila had alerted the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in October 2025 after complaints that the purported agency was operating alongside the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC).
According to the Onanuga, the chief of staff told security agencies that forged appointment letters bearing his signature, reference numbers and official seals were being used to legitimise the fictitious agency.
“The attention of this office has been drawn to the activities of certain individuals and groups engaged in the forgery of official appointment letters purportedly issued from my office,” the petition reads.
The presidential spokesperson said Gbajabiamila could not have appointed Adeyemi because the agency was non-existent.
He added that appointments into government offices are made through the office of the secretary to the government of the federation (OSGF), not the office of the chief of staff.
Onanuga said the police arrested Adeyemi in Abuja on October 27, 2025, and recovered forged documents during searches of his office and residence.
He said investigators established that Adeyemi forged his appointment letter, falsely paraded himself as a government appointee, and sought a note verbale from the ministry of foreign affairs to obtain US visas for himself and members of the purported council.
Onanuga said the police also discovered that Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, including nine allegedly opened in the names of fictitious agencies.
He alleged that Adeyemi used forged documents to open a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account after misleading the office of the accountant-general of the federation.
He, however, said investigators found no evidence that government funds had been paid into the account.
‘CASE ALREADY BEFORE COURT’
The presidential spokesperson said the police filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi and two others at the federal high court in Abuja on November 27, 2025.
The case is scheduled to come up on July 27.
Onanuga said Adeyemi’s recent claim that Gbajabiamila appointed him as director-general of the purported council contradicted the statement he made to the police during the investigation.
He urged politicians and members of the public to refrain from relying on Adeyemi’s claims while the matter remains before the court.
“Politicians and members of the public who are weaponising Adeyemi’s claim against the Chief of Staff should refrain from swallowing his narrative hook, line and sinker,” he said.
“They are advised to await the trial of Adeyemi and his accomplices, as well as the court’s judgement, as comments made today are subjudice.”
