by Ogbeni Olawale Dawodu,
The Director General of the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Mathew Adeniyi Adeyemi, has denied ever meeting Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, in person.
Speaking in an interview with social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkBlackMan (VDM), the embattled Adeyemi said he could neither confirm nor rule out Gbajabiamila’s involvement in the scandal rocking the PFIPC.
His denial comes about 72 hours after Gbajabiamila’s lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), threatened him with legal action over the allegations.
In the 16-minute, 26-second video obtained on Tuesday, VDM disclosed that Adeyemi had called him first and that he returned the call after realising who it was.
Asked directly whether he had ever met Gbajabiamila one-on-one to discuss the matter, Adeyemi answered simply, “No.”
Pressed on whether they had at least spoken by phone, he said, “Yes, like three times I’ve once spoken to him through my late friend, Dolapo Tanimola.”
Questioned on how he could be certain it was actually Gbajabiamila on the line, given the calls were not on video, Adeyemi conceded, “No, it was not on video call.”
He also confirmed that every transaction linked to the claims was conducted through the now-deceased friend, and agreed there was a real possibility the Chief of Staff was not directly involved, saying, “Of course! Yes.”
On whether Gbajabiamila might be genuinely unaware of the fraud or could be lying about his involvement, Adeyemi said, “I wouldn’t say he is lying and I wouldn’t say he is saying the truth,” adding that the uncertainty was why he had called on President Bola Tinubu to order an investigation.
Adeyemi is currently facing trial over his alleged role in running the PFIPC — a body the Presidency maintains does not exist — with his case adjourned to July 14, 2026, at the Federal High Court, Abuja. At a press briefing on June 25, 2026, he had accused Gbajabiamila of demanding 48 per cent of the council’s alleged N27.4 billion take-off grant, about N12.5 billion, and separately pocketing N400 million tied to appointments linked to the agency.
Through Pinheiro, Gbajabiamila has rejected the allegations outright, insisting he never had any contact with Adeyemi through a proxy, and has threatened a N10 billion defamation suit over the bribery, murder, and other criminal claims made against him.
On Tuesday, President Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the scandal and submit its findings within 30 days.
Adeyemi told VDM he intended to turn himself in to the police or the Department of State Services (DSS) after the interview, though it remains unclear whether he has done so.
