The Federal Government has filed an eight-count charge against Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims to be the Director-General of the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), even as the discovery of a ₦1.302 billion allocation for the council in the 2026 federal budget has added a new dimension to the controversy.

The charges, filed by the Nigeria Police Force at the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 27, 2025, followed an investigation into allegations of forgery, impersonation and related offences. Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said Adeyemi is expected to appear before the court on July 27, 2026.

According to Onanuga, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, alerted the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force in October 2025 after complaints that the purported council was operating alongside the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC).

He said security agencies discovered that forged appointment letters bearing the Chief of Staff's signature, reference numbers and official seals were being used to present the council as a legitimate government agency.

Police subsequently arrested Adeyemi in Abuja on October 27, 2025, and allegedly recovered forged documents during searches of his office and residence.

Onanuga said investigations established that the council did not exist under the current administration and that Adeyemi falsely presented himself as a government appointee. He also alleged that Adeyemi sought a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to enable him and members of the purported council obtain United States visas.

The presidential spokesperson further disclosed that Adeyemi told investigators that one Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola helped him obtain the appointment letter. However, police later established that Tanimola had died in a fire incident at a hotel in Abuja on October 22, 2025, five days before Adeyemi's arrest.

Despite the charges, Adeyemi has maintained that his appointment was genuine and insisted he would clear his name in court.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, he denied evading the law and said he was prepared to face trial.

"If I am wrong, let the court decide. If I am right, let the court do the right thing. I have a letter of appointment, but since the matter is before the court, I cannot say much about it," he said.

Adeyemi also insisted that Gbajabiamila was aware of his appointment, maintaining that the court would determine the authenticity of the documents in dispute.

He questioned the Presidency's position that the PFIPC was fictitious, arguing that a non-existent agency could not have operated publicly for years or appeared in the 2026 federal budget.

The controversy intensified after budget documents showed that ₦1.302 billion was allocated to the Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council under the Presidency in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

The allocation includes ₦802.978 million for personnel costs, ₦200 million for overhead and ₦300 million for capital expenditure.

The budget entry has triggered questions over how an agency the Presidency describes as non-existent was captured in the national budget. As of the time of filing this report, the Budget Office had not publicly explained the inclusion.

Reacting to the development, Adeyemi argued that if the agency truly did not exist, its appearance in the Appropriation Act would raise serious concerns about the integrity of the budget process.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also weighed in on the controversy, saying the Presidency's explanation had failed to address key questions surrounding the budget allocation.

He challenged the Federal Government to explain how a purportedly fictitious agency was included in the 2026 budget, asking which government officials prepared, reviewed and defended the estimates before they were approved by the National Assembly and signed into law.

Atiku called for an independent investigation, arguing that the controversy points to deeper institutional failures that go beyond the prosecution of Adeyemi.

The case is expected to come before the Federal High Court in Abuja later this month.