Reps Give MDAs 48-Hour Ultimatum Over Alleged Fake Government Agency Probe

The House of Representatives has intensified its investigation into the alleged Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), issuing a 48-hour ultimatum to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) accused of frustrating the ongoing probe.
The House Ad-hoc Committee investigating the establishment, funding and operations of the controversial council directed all defaulting agencies to appear before it on Thursday with relevant officials and documents or face constitutional sanctions.
Chairman of the committee, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, warned that failure to honour the invitation would amount to a violation of the National Assembly’s constitutional oversight powers, stressing that the House would invoke all legal measures to compel compliance.
According to Gagdi, invitations issued by committees of the House are backed by Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and are therefore legally binding.
He maintained that the investigation was not targeted at any individual or institution but aimed at establishing the facts surrounding the PFIPC, safeguarding the rule of law and ensuring that no public institution operates outside constitutional provisions.
The committee also insisted that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, personally appear before it, despite the ministry sending a representative to Tuesday’s hearing.
The investigation was launched following allegations that the PFIPC operated as a government agency without any legal basis while allegedly appearing in official government records, including the 2025 Appropriation Act.
At previous hearings, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed lawmakers that it neither recognised the council nor had any official dealings with its alleged Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi. The ministry further disclosed that the Office of the National Security Adviser also confirmed that both the council and Adeyemi were unknown to the Federal Government.
Officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria also told the committee that bank accounts reportedly linked to the agency were opened on the directive of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation but contained zero balances and had recorded no financial transactions.
Lawmakers are also examining how the council allegedly gained recognition in government records and whether any public officials or institutions facilitated its operations.
Meanwhile, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has withdrawn from representing Adeyemi in the ongoing legal proceedings.
Confirming the development, Falana simply stated that he had withdrawn from the case but declined to disclose the reasons for his decision.
However, sources familiar with the matter said the senior lawyer had advised Adeyemi against granting media interviews, a directive he reportedly ignored by participating in an Instagram Live session with social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan.
The source further disclosed that Falana decided to step aside after Adeyemi allegedly informed him that he would not appear in court on July 27 for his scheduled arraignment.
The controversy has also attracted the attention of human rights activist and African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, who challenged the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to release the full, unedited video of its interrogation of the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Sowore dismissed the anti-graft agency’s explanation that Gbajabiamila voluntarily honoured its invitation, insisting that only the release of the complete interrogation footage would convince Nigerians that the investigation was transparent.
The ICPC had earlier clarified that the Chief of Staff was neither arrested nor detained but merely honoured an invitation to answer questions relating to the ongoing investigation before leaving after making his statement.
The House committee is expected to continue its hearings as it seeks to determine the legal status of the PFIPC, identify any officials involved in its operations and recommend appropriate legislative or legal action.