The Atiku Media Office on Thursday called for an independent investigation into the alleged activities of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, insisting that the controversy surrounding the organisation should not be dismissed without a comprehensive public probe.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the media office questioned the circumstances surrounding the operations of the council, which the Presidency has described as a non-existent Federal Government agency allegedly created by an impostor.
The opposition media office argued that several questions remained unanswered despite the Presidency's clarification and urged the Federal Government to institute what it described as a transparent forensic investigation into the matter.
It questioned how the alleged promoter of the organisation was able to operate from the Federal Secretariat without detection and further sought explanations over claims that the body allegedly secured a budget code and an allocation of N1.3 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
The statement also claimed that the alleged promoter had held meetings with top government officials, heads of agencies, diplomats, traditional rulers and prospective investors, arguing that such public engagements warranted a detailed investigation into the matter.
According to the media office, the Presidency's description of the organisation as a "ghost agency" does not sufficiently address reports suggesting that the National Assembly had official correspondence with the body.
The Atiku Media Office further maintained that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and other officials allegedly linked to the controversy should submit themselves to investigation in the interest of accountability and transparency.
It also urged the government to address allegations that the promoter of the council claimed to have paid a N400 million bribe to the President's Chief of Staff, saying the Presidency's earlier statement did not respond directly to the allegation.
The statement further referenced the death of Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, who it described as an alleged intermediary in the controversy, insisting that the circumstances surrounding the matter should also form part of any investigation.
Calling for a judicial inquiry before the 2027 general elections, the media office said a thorough investigation and speedy prosecution of anyone found culpable would help strengthen public confidence in government institutions and the electoral process.
The Presidency had on Wednesday, through the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disowned the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council and described its promoter, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, as an impostor, maintaining that the body is not a recognised agency of the Federal Government.
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