The House of Representatives committee investigating the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council has found no evidence linking President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to the establishment or activities of the organisation.

The Ad Hoc Committee, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi, said its preliminary investigation established that Gbajabiamila neither authorised nor approved the council and did not participate in its operations.

Gagdi disclosed the findings on Wednesday during a press briefing televised by TVC.

According to the committee, Gbajabiamila took steps to involve relevant security and investigative agencies after concerns about the purported organisation were brought to his attention.

The panel said the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission was among the first institutions to raise concerns, citing suspected fraudulent activities and alleged misuse of government materials.

It said Gbajabiamila subsequently contacted the Nigeria Police Force, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, while also directing relevant government institutions to verify the organisation’s status.

The committee said he later sent additional communications requesting investigations and appropriate action after further concerns emerged, including those related to a proposed world investment summit.

“The documentary evidence presently before the Committee does not establish that the Chief of Staff authorised, approved, established or participated in the activities of the purported organisation,” the panel said.

The lawmakers consequently commended Gbajabiamila, on a preliminary basis, for the measures he took after the matter was brought to his attention.

The committee also determined that a letter purportedly appointing Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi as Director-General of the council was forged and falsely attributed to the Presidency.

According to the panel, State House records showed that Gbajabiamila neither issued nor signed the document. It added that the letterhead was not genuine and its reference number did not follow the Presidency’s official numbering system.

The lawmakers further rejected documents presented as an executive order and an Act of the National Assembly establishing the purported council.

The committee said the document labelled Executive Order No. 5 and dated February 24, 2026, was neither issued nor approved through the required presidential procedures. It also found that the alleged Act had not been passed by both chambers of the National Assembly, assented to by the President or gazetted.

The panel said part of a document belonging to another institution appeared to have been digitally altered to create the impression that the National Assembly had legally established the council.

It therefore concluded that there was no valid law, executive order or other lawful instrument establishing an institution known as the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.

The committee also disclosed that preliminary financial records had linked about 58 bank accounts to identifying information associated with Adeyemi.

The controversy arose after the purported council, allegedly headed by Adeyemi, appeared in the Federal Government’s 2026 budget despite questions over its legal status. Adeyemi had claimed he was appointed by Gbajabiamila, a claim the Chief of Staff denied.

The allegations subsequently triggered questions over how the purported organisation secured a budgetary allocation and operated while lacking a recognised legal foundation.