The Chairman of the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the alleged establishment and operations of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Yusuf Gagdi, has explained why the panel did not invite President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, despite documents linking him to the controversial agency.
Gagdi said the investigation was not targeted at Gbajabiamila or any individual but was focused on determining how an agency allegedly without a legal foundation gained access to government structures and financial systems.
The Plateau State lawmaker, who represents Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency, spoke on Wednesday while reacting to questions surrounding the committee’s preliminary findings on the alleged agency.
The committee had earlier cleared Gbajabiamila after reviewing documents submitted before it, despite allegations by Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claimed to be the Director-General of the PFIPC, that the Chief of Staff was connected to the organisation.
Adeyemi had alleged that Gbajabiamila received ₦400 million through proxies in relation to appointments linked to the agency and accused him of using his office to intimidate individuals and media organisations.
Gbajabiamila has denied the allegations and has since filed a defamation suit against Adeyemi.
Explaining the committee’s decision not to invite the former House Speaker, Gagdi said the panel’s mandate was not to investigate personalities but to establish the legality of the PFIPC and how it operated within government circles.
“The impression that people have that the entirety of that committee is about Femi Gbajabiamila is not true,” Gagdi said.
According to him, the first responsibility of the committee was to determine whether the PFIPC was legally created, who established it and the authority under which it operated.
“If our mandate was to establish how the agency came into existence, who established the agency? It’s not for Femi,” he said.
Gagdi explained that Gbajabiamila became part of the investigation because documents presented before the committee contained references to him.
“People want us to make the Chief of Staff the central attraction of the matter. Ours is to make the entire federal government the central attraction of the matter,” he said.
The lawmaker said the committee invited members of the public, institutions and relevant stakeholders to submit documents and memoranda as part of the investigation process.
He added that where petitions or allegations were made against individuals, such persons could be invited to respond, but the investigation would not be limited to one person.
PFIPC’s Legal Status Under Investigation
Gagdi said the committee’s major concern was to establish whether the PFIPC had any legal backing.
He explained that government agencies are typically created either through legislation passed by the National Assembly or through lawful executive processes where applicable.
The committee, according to him, discovered documents suggesting the existence of the agency but needed to verify whether those documents were authentic.
The panel’s preliminary findings stated that it found no evidence of an Act of the National Assembly establishing the PFIPC.
It also claimed that documents presented as the agency’s enabling law, appointment letter and other official papers were not genuine.
The committee further stated that it traced several bank accounts allegedly linked to Adeyemi through his Bank Verification Number (BVN), with some accounts connected to different government agencies.
Why Some Proceedings Were Held Privately
The committee chairman also dismissed claims that the investigation was conducted secretly.
He explained that the only private session involved Adeyemi, who was invited while in police custody.
According to Gagdi, the committee requested that the police bring Adeyemi before lawmakers, but the police declined due to an existing court order restricting his movement.
He said the National Assembly respected the court order and could not act against judicial directives.