Senate Rejects Probe of Controversial ₦1.3bn Budget Allocation, Defers To ICPC Investigation

By Paul Joseph

The Senate on Wednesday declined to launch its own investigation into the controversial ₦1.3 billion budget allocation linked to the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), opting instead to await the outcome of an ongoing probe ordered by President Bola Tinubu.

The motion, sponsored by Senator Suleiman Kawu during plenary, sought an urgent investigation into the budgetary allocation, legal status and activities of the council, which has generated widespread public debate.

Kawu argued that the controversy surrounding the PFIPC had the potential to undermine public confidence in the Senate, the National Assembly and the integrity of the federal budget process.

He noted that conflicting claims over the council had dominated public discourse, despite the Presidency maintaining that the PFIPC is not a recognised government agency.

The senator called on the Senate to investigate how the council was captured in the 2026 Appropriation Act under Budget Code 0111062001 and allocated ₦1,302,978,784, despite concerns over its legal existence.

He also urged the upper chamber to mandate its Committees on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, as well as Appropriations, to determine how the allocation was proposed and approved, identify the officials or agencies involved, establish whether any funds had been released or spent, and ascertain whether any bank accounts had been opened or operated in the council’s name.

However, the Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, who presided over the plenary, ruled against the request for a separate Senate investigation.

Barau informed lawmakers that President Tinubu had already directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the matter, urging the Senate to allow the anti-graft agency to conclude its work.

Following his ruling, the Senate stepped down the proposed investigation and resolved to await the outcome of the ICPC’s inquiry into the controversial budget allocation.