The Nigerian Senate has once again blocked a fresh attempt to investigate the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), despite growing outrage over how the alleged “ghost” agency secured over N1.3 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
Senator Kawu Sumaila (Kano South) raised the motion during a plenary session, demanding a comprehensive inquiry into the agency’s legal status, operations, and budget allocations. However, Senate President Godswill Akpabio halted the move, ruling that the matter is currently before the courts and undergoing an executive review.
Senate President Halts Probe Over Subjudice Rules
According to Akpabio, developments have overtaken the proposed legislative probe. He noted that individuals linked to the PFIPC scandal have already been charged in court, making key aspects of the issue subjudice. Additionally, Akpabio disclosed that President Bola Tinubu has set up an executive committee to investigate the scandal, including how the agency opened bank accounts and secured office space.
“Given these ongoing processes, if the Senate proceeds with its own investigation now, we may be jumping the gun and potentially prejudicing the judicial process,” Akpabio stated, advising that the motion be suspended indefinitely.
Atiku Slams Tinubu Administration Over PFIPC and N6.44bn World Cup Budget
The decision has sparked heavy criticism from opposition leader and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku accused the Tinubu administration of trying to shield government officials from scrutiny and manipulate the narrative to blame the opposition.
Atiku described the arrest of the self-styled Director-General of the PFIPC, Adeniyi Adeyemi, as a calculated attempt to extract statements to implicate opposition figures rather than uncover the truth. He argued that the scandal goes far beyond one individual’s actions.
“The greater scandal is that the Tinubu administration allegedly opened the doors of the Nigerian state to him, allowed him to acquire the appearance and privileges of official legitimacy, and permitted him to interact with institutions and diplomatic interests in the name of the federal government,” Atiku stated.
Atiku also drew attention to another shocking allocation in the 2026 federal budget: N6.44 billion earmarked for a “Special Presidential Support Group for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.” Crucially, Nigeria had already been eliminated from the World Cup qualification process in November 2025 a month before the budget was even presented to the National Assembly.
“How does a serious government budget N6.44 billion for presidential support for World Cup qualifiers after the country had already been eliminated?” Atiku queried, calling the budget a “warehouse for dubious expenditures.”
Legislative Integrity on Trial
Senator Sumaila warned that the Senate’s integrity is heavily at stake. He revealed that the PFIPC appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act under Budget Code 0111062001, with an allocation of N1,302,978,784, including N802.98 million for personnel, N200 million for overhead, and N300 million for capital expenditure.
Sumaila questioned how an agency that the presidency publicly denounces as “fake” could successfully pass through the executive budget drafting, legislative scrutiny, and receive presidential assent. While anti-graft agencies can handle criminal prosecutions, Sumaila argued that only the National Assembly can investigate why its own oversight processes failed.
Atiku has urged the National Assembly to resist a “choreographed cover-up” and establish an independent, bipartisan panel to get to the bottom of the PFIPC scandal.