The presidency has accused Adeniyi Adeyemi, convener of a purported presidential council, of forging an appointment letter and falsely presenting himself as a presidential appointee.
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In a statement issued on Wednesday, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said Adeyemi headed the fictitious presidential foreign intervention promotion council, an agency the federal government said does not exist.
The statement follows recent allegations by Adeyemi that Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to President Bola Tinubu, demanded a N400 million bribe.
‘CHIEF OF STAFF PETITIONED SECURITY AGENCIES’
Onanuga said Gbajabiamila had alerted the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in October 2025 after complaints that the purported agency was operating alongside the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC).
According to Onanuga, the chief of staff told security agencies that forged appointment letters bearing his signature, reference numbers and official seals were being used to legitimise the fictitious agency.
“The attention of this office has been drawn to the activities of certain individuals and groups engaged in the forgery of official appointment letters purportedly issued from my office,” the petition reads.
The presidential spokesperson said Gbajabiamila could not have appointed Adeyemi because the agency was non-existent.
He added that appointments into government offices are made through the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), not the office of the Chief of Staff.
Onanuga said the police arrested Adeyemi in Abuja on October 27, 2025, and recovered forged documents during searches of his office and residence.
He said investigators established that Adeyemi forged his appointment letter, falsely paraded himself as a government appointee, and sought a note verbale from the ministry of foreign affairs to obtain US visas for himself and members of the purported council.
Onanuga said the police also discovered that Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, including nine allegedly opened in the names of fictitious agencies.
He alleged that Adeyemi used forged documents to open a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account after misleading the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
He, however, said investigators found no evidence that government funds had been paid into the account.
‘CASE ALREADY BEFORE COURT’
The presidential spokesperson said the police filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi and two others at the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 27, 2025.
The case is scheduled to come up on July 27.
Onanuga said Adeyemi’s recent claim that Gbajabiamila appointed him as director-general of the purported council contradicted the statement he made to the police during the investigation.
He urged politicians and members of the public to refrain from relying on Adeyemi’s claims while the matter remains before the court.
“Politicians and members of the public who are weaponising Adeyemi’s claim against the Chief of Staff should refrain from swallowing his narrative hook, line and sinker,” he said.
“They are advised to await the trial of Adeyemi and his accomplices, as well as the court’s judgement, as comments made today are subjudice.”
The presidency said the chief of staff, on October 17, 2025, petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force, requesting an investigation into individuals allegedly forging appointment letters purportedly issued from his office.
The petition alleged that Adeyemi had been presenting himself as Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, operating from the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja, hosting meetings with foreign diplomats and Nigerian officials, and seeking diplomatic support, including a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate United States visas for members of the purported agency.
The Chief of Staff described the activities as criminal, saying they undermined the integrity of the Presidency and official government communications.
The statement said the petition was accompanied by copies of the alleged forged appointment letter, requests made to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and photographs of activities obtained from the agency’s website.
The Presidency further disclosed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had, on October 15, 2025, sought clarification from the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Chief of Staff after Adeyemi reportedly convened a meeting with ambassadors at the Wells Carlton Hotel in Abuja without the ministry’s knowledge.
According to the ministry, the action contravened established diplomatic procedures.
Subsequently, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) also requested clarification from the Chief of Staff, following enquiries from government and non-governmental organisations regarding the status of the purported appointment.
The Chief of Staff, however, denied issuing any appointment letter to Adeyemi, stressing that the agency did not exist and that appointments to government positions fall within the mandate of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Following investigations, the police arrested Adeyemi on October 27, 2025, at the office from which he allegedly operated the scheme.
According to the Presidency, searches conducted at his office and residence in Suleja led to the recovery of documents and exhibits allegedly linked to the operation.
The statement said Adeyemi told investigators that one Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola assisted him in obtaining the alleged forged appointment letter.
However, police investigations revealed that Tanimola had died in a hotel fire in Abuja on October 22, 2025, five days before Adeyemi’s arrest.
The Presidency said investigators established that the agency was fictitious and that Adeyemi allegedly forged appointment documents, falsely presented himself as a government appointee and fraudulently sought official diplomatic support.
Police investigations also reportedly uncovered 34 bank accounts linked to Adeyemi, including nine allegedly opened in the names of fictitious agencies such as the FCT Investment Promotion Agency/Public Private Partnership (FIPA-APP).
According to the statement, investigators further alleged that Adeyemi used forged documents to open a Central Bank of Nigeria account through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, although no government funds were transferred into the account.
The police subsequently filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi and two alleged accomplices before the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 27, 2025. The case is scheduled for hearing on July 27.
The Presidency said Adeyemi later claimed, while on police bail, that the Chief of Staff had appointed him as Director-General of the agency, describing the assertion as inconsistent with his earlier statement to investigators.
It added that the Chief of Staff issued another disclaimer on June 8, reaffirming that Adeyemi was unknown to the Presidency and had no connection with any government agency.
The statement further alleged that Adeyemi had previously claimed in 2016 to be an ambassador and President-General of the World Youth Organisation, which he described as a United Nations affiliate, a claim the UN reportedly denied.
The Presidency urged politicians and members of the public not to rely on Adeyemi’s claims, noting that the matter is before the court and should be allowed to run its course.
