By Sunday Ameh
A political analyst and Chairman of the Ijebu North East Forum, Bayo Ayanga, has called on the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, to temporarily step aside pending the determination of the criminal case surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
Ayanga said although the Presidency had publicly dismissed allegations linking Gbajabiamila to the controversy, only a court of competent jurisdiction could determine criminal liability and pronounce anyone innocent or guilty.
He stated this on Thursday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State.
His comments followed the position of human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, who argued that the Presidency lacked the constitutional authority to exonerate anyone in the matter and called for an independent investigation involving both Gbajabiamila and the self-acclaimed Director-General of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew.
The controversy stems from allegations by Adeyemi that Gbajabiamila demanded a ₦400m kickback, an additional ₦200m payment and a 48 per cent share of a proposed ₦27.4bn take-off grant to facilitate his appointment.
The Presidency, however, dismissed the allegations, describing the PFIPC as a fictitious agency that does not exist within the Federal Government and insisting that the Chief of Staff lacks constitutional powers to issue appointment letters.
Subsequent investigations by the Nigeria Police Force reportedly uncovered what authorities described as an elaborate fraud scheme allegedly operated by Adeyemi from an office within the Federal Secretariat, Abuja.
Police alleged that the suspect forged appointment letters, official documents, government stamps and even the signature of the Chief of Staff while operating multiple bank accounts linked to fake government agencies.
Adeyemi has since denied the allegations, insisting that the case against him is politically motivated. The police have, however, filed an eight-count charge before the Federal High Court, Abuja, where trial is scheduled to commence on July 27.
Reacting to the development, Ayanga said the Presidency’s declaration clearing Gbajabiamila was premature.
“Femi Gbajabiamila will have to step down until this whole mess is cleared because the mess is not cleared yet,” he said.
According to him, the honourable course of action would be for the Chief of Staff to temporarily vacate office until the court concludes the matter.
“The honourable thing was for Femi Gbajabiamila to step down. The fact that the Presidency said he is cleared does not mean he is cleared. Until we see the end of this case and the court says he is guilty or not guilty, that is the total clearance. I expect him to step down,” Ayanga added.
He clarified that he was not advocating Gbajabiamila’s resignation but only a temporary withdrawal from office pending the outcome of the judicial process.
“I’m not saying he should resign. I’m saying he should step down pending his clearance by the courts,” he stated.
Ayanga argued that criminal allegations could only be resolved by the judiciary, stressing that the executive lacked constitutional powers to absolve anyone facing such accusations.
“This is a criminal allegation. It is not civil. If it is a criminal allegation, let the court determine the matter,” he said.
He also questioned the speed with which the Presidency dismissed the allegations against the Chief of Staff.
“The hastiness with which they cleared him is what is surprising.
These allegations came up only a few days ago, and within a week they said he had been cleared. How was he cleared?” he queried.
The political analyst further said the controversy had exposed significant institutional weaknesses within Nigeria’s governance structure.
He wondered how an individual allegedly operating a non-existent government agency could obtain office space within the Federal Secretariat, allegedly secure budgetary allocations and reportedly open multiple bank accounts without detection.
“For someone to wake up one day, declare himself Director-General of a fictitious agency, secure office space in the Federal Secretariat, get into the budget and allegedly open accounts, there are too many questions begging for answers,” he said.
Ayanga maintained that irrespective of the outcome of the trial, the Federal Government should use the incident to strengthen administrative oversight and institutional safeguards.
According to him, the controversy highlights the need for comprehensive reforms in document verification, inter-agency coordination and public sector accountability to prevent similar occurrences in future.
He added that many of the alleged irregularities should ordinarily have been detected during routine administrative scrutiny before reaching higher levels of government approval.
“There are some things that should have been stopped at the first table. But they passed through several stages before getting approval. That shows serious institutional lapses that must be addressed,” he said.
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