Fresh Clash As Atiku Challenges ₦6.44bn World Cup Spending, Presidency Responds

The controversy surrounding the disputed Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) intensified on Wednesday after the Senate, for the second time within a week, declined to investigate the agency’s controversial budgetary allocation.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The latest development came as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Presidency exchanged sharp disagreements over who should investigate how the purported agency allegedly gained access to government institutions and secured a place in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on Tuesday arrested the self-acclaimed Director-General of the council, Adeniyi Adeyemi, following a bench warrant issued by the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The warrant was issued after Adeyemi failed to appear before the court to answer an eight-count charge bordering on alleged conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.

Adeyemi is also at the centre of a dispute involving the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, after accusing him of demanding a ₦400 million bribe and seeking 48 per cent of the agency’s proposed ₦27.4 billion take-off grant.

Gbajabiamila and the Presidency have denied the allegations, insisting that the PFIPC was never established by the Federal Government.

Tinubu Orders ICPC Investigation

In response to the controversy, President Bola Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged agency and its inclusion in the 2026 budget.

The anti-corruption agency has been given 30 days to submit its findings.

However, Atiku rejected the arrangement, arguing that an investigation initiated by the Presidency would lack credibility and public confidence.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate called for an independent, bipartisan investigation.

According to Atiku, the controversy extends beyond the alleged actions of Adeyemi and raises broader questions about how government institutions interacted with the disputed organisation.

“The scandal is not merely that one man allegedly impersonated public authority,” Atiku said.

“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.”

The former Vice President questioned how an organisation now described as non-existent allegedly obtained office space within the Federal Secretariat, recruited hundreds of workers, engaged government agencies and secured a budgetary allocation.

He said any credible investigation must determine who authorised the agency, facilitated its operations and approved its funding in the national budget.

Atiku also expressed concern that Adeyemi’s arrest could divert attention from what he described as the wider institutional issues raised by the controversy.

Atiku Questions ₦6.44bn World Cup Budget

The former Vice President also queried an alleged ₦6.44 billion allocation in the 2026 budget for a “Special Presidential Support Group for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.”

He argued that the expenditure required explanation because Nigeria had reportedly been eliminated from the qualification race before the budget proposal was submitted to the National Assembly.

“How does a serious government budget ₦6.44 billion for presidential support for World Cup qualifiers after the country had already been eliminated?” he asked.

“What competition was the money intended to support? Who inserted the provision, who approved it and who was expected to benefit from an expenditure whose stated purpose had already ceased to exist?”

Atiku described the allocation as another indication of deeper flaws in the country’s budgeting process.

“It reinforces public suspicion that the national budget has become a warehouse for dubious expenditures, fiscal waste and allocations without any defensible public purpose,” he added.

‘ICPC Probe Not Enough’

Atiku further argued that the ICPC investigation could not inspire public confidence because the Presidency had already taken a position on the matter.

“The probe ordered by President Tinubu and assigned to the ICPC is insufficient, self-serving and incapable of inspiring public confidence in the government’s claim of innocence,” he said.

He cautioned against any attempt to suppress evidence or manipulate the outcome of the investigation to shield influential officials.

Atiku therefore urged the National Assembly to establish an independent bipartisan panel to investigate every aspect of the controversy.

He also called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), civil society organisations and members of the diplomatic community to demand transparency and accountability.

Presidency Defends ICPC Investigation

Responding to Atiku’s criticism, the Presidency defended the ICPC probe, describing it as the legally recognised independent mechanism for investigating allegations of corruption.

Speaking with The PUNCH, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, questioned Atiku’s apparent lack of confidence in the anti-corruption agency.

“Under Nigerian law, what other independent probe can be done other than the one that the ICPC is currently doing as directed by the President?” Ajayi asked.

“The ICPC has been mandated to investigate corrupt practices because we believe in its statutory responsibility. The President has directed it to take over the matter.”

Ajayi also questioned whether Atiku’s criticism suggested a lack of trust in Nigerian institutions.

“He wants to become President of Nigeria. If he eventually becomes President, is he going to ignore the institutions of state?” he asked.

According to the presidential aide, allowing the ICPC to handle the investigation demonstrates the administration’s commitment to due process and institutional accountability.

Senate Rejects Probe Again

Meanwhile, the Senate again rejected calls to investigate the budgetary allocation linked to the disputed agency.

Lawmakers maintained that no formal petition had been submitted before the chamber and noted that aspects of the matter are already before the courts.

The Senate also argued that questions surrounding the establishment of the PFIPC and the alleged appointment of its Director-General remain issues within the purview of the Executive.