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The dispute surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has escalated, with Adeniyi Adeyemi maintaining that he was legitimately appointed to head the body and expressing readiness to defend himself in court.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Adeyemi said he had nothing to hide and welcomed the legal process after the Federal Government filed charges against him over his claim to be Director General of the council.

Responding to a question on whether he was prepared to face prosecution, he said, “Definitely, sir. If I’m wrong, let the court of law do that, and if I’m right, let the court of law do that; do the right thing.”

Adeyemi also rejected allegations that he had misrepresented himself, insisting the judiciary would eventually establish the facts.

“Since the matter is in the court, let the court of competent jurisdiction vindicate me because I’m ready to clear my name.”

He added, “Let the court take its course. Since my lawyers are involved, everybody will follow us. They will monitor the whole thing. Then let the court of competent jurisdiction do what they need to.”

When questioned about how salaries for workers under the disputed council were financed, Adeyemi declined to provide details, citing the ongoing legal proceedings.

“The truth will be unravelled at the court of law.”

He further said, “Mr Seun [host of the programme], I don’t want to talk much about it since the matter is in court. In fact, I’m restricted from talking since the matter is in the courts. So let’s just get to the courts, Ok?”

The controversy erupted after the Presidency publicly distanced itself from the organisation Adeyemi claimed to lead. Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga described the council as non-existent and accused Adeyemi of forging official documents and impersonating government officials.

According to Onanuga, “We are aware of the public interest in the matter of a man called Adeyemi Adeniyi Matthew, who has been parading himself as the director-general of a fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council cum Presidential Economic Advisory Council.”

He further alleged, “The case of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew is a clear case of a con artist who appears to have built a web of false claims to deceive unsuspecting government officials and the public into playing by his scam book. He has a history of fraudulent misrepresentation.”

Adeyemi has denied the accusations and instead alleged that senior government officials attempted to interfere with the activities of the council after he resisted certain demands.

He specifically accused the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, of seeking a share of the council’s take-off grant, an allegation the Presidency has rejected.

“The major rationale behind the disagreement between myself and the Chief of Staff is that he allegedly requested 48 per cent of the take-off grant (₦27,395,510,136) from the same agency, which he denies, which I rejected after he collected a total sum of ₦400 million by proxy, with a remaining balance of ₦200 million to secure the said appointment,” Adeyemi claimed.

He urged President Bola Tinubu to constitute an independent panel to investigate the allegations from all sides.

Adding another dimension to the controversy, details contained in the 2026 Appropriation Bill published by the Budget Office list an entity named “Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council” under code 0111062001 with a proposed allocation of ₦1.303 billion. The budget consists of ₦802.98 million for personnel costs, ₦200 million for overheads and ₦300 million for capital expenditure.

Despite that listing, the Presidency maintains that the council is fictitious and says investigations uncovered several bank accounts allegedly linked to the organisation.

Quoting findings from the police investigation, Onanuga said, “The Police found that Adeyemi, using the fake documents he created, fraudulently opened a CBN account by misleading the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation. According to the police, no government money has been transferred into the account.

“The act of the suspect constitutes criminal forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence, thereby bringing the office of the Chief of Staff to the President and the Presidency to disrepute before the public and international community,” the police report stated.

Onanuga also disclosed that investigators filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi and two other suspects at the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 27, 2025.

He said, “Based on their investigations, the police filed an eight-count charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja against Adeyemi and two of his accomplices on November 27, 2025. He is due in court on July 27.”

The presidential spokesman added that Adeyemi was already on police bail when he publicly claimed to have been appointed Director General of the council.

“Adeyemi was on police bail when he recently claimed that the Chief of Staff had appointed him as DG of the fictitious agency. This claim contradicted his statement to the police in November last year. His new claim prompted the Chief of Staff, on June 8, to issue a disclaimer consistent with earlier advisories that the man, called Adeyemi, is an imposter.”