Prince Adeniyi Matthew Adeyemi, the embattled Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), has formally petitioned the House of Representatives to grant him administrative clearance, that enables him to appear before its ad-hoc committee investigating the agency.
​Adeyemi, who is currently in police custody, submitted the request through his lead counsel, Festus Akhigbe, in Abuja on August 3, 2026. He warned that excluding him from the ongoing legislative probe would undermine the panel’s credibility and violate his constitutional right to a fair hearing.
Adeyemi’s legal team insisted that as the central figure in the dispute, his in-person testimony before the Yusuf Gagdi-led House Ad-hoc Committee is critical to establishing the truth. Adeyemi maintains he is being made a “scapegoat” and denied creating the agency single-handedly.
The House of Representatives inaugurated the investigative panel on July 20, 2026, following public outcry over the agency’s inclusion in the 2026 Appropriation Act, where it was listed alongside the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) with a budget allocation of ₦1.303 billion, despite lacking formal statutory backing.
The Presidency, through Special Adviser on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, disowned the PFIPC, labeling it a fictitious entity and accusing Adeyemi of forging appointment letters and official seals.
Following a directive from the Office of the Chief of Staff, the Nigeria Police Force arrested Adeyemi in October 2025 at his Federal Secretariat office in Abuja. He now faces an eight-count charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja bordering on forgery, impersonation, and fraudulent misrepresentation.
​The ad-hoc committee, chaired by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, has questioned several high-profile officials, including the Director-General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu, and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Esther Walson-Jack. While the Budget Office confirmed that no funds were disbursed from the ₦1.303 billion allocation due to unfulfilled statutory conditions, lawmakers are focusing on how forged documents penetrated the federal budget framework.
​In response to the committee’s efforts to call Adeyemi to testify, the Nigeria Police Force previously informed lawmakers that producing him in court or before the panel requires a formal administrative clearance or court order due to his current detention status.
​Adeyemi insists that several government organs processed documents and conducted official business with the council over an extended period, promising to reveal full details once granted permission to address the House panel.
