The Presidency has dismissed allegations that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, accepted a ₦400 million bribe in connection with appointments to a purported government body, describing the claims as false and unsupported.
The allegations were made by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who claimed Gbajabiamila received the money to facilitate his appointment as head of a purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and later demanded additional payments linked to an alleged ₦24 billion grant.
Responding to the claims, the Presidency stated that Adeyemi was arrested in October 2025 following an investigation into alleged forgery and fraud. According to officials, investigators discovered that he had been operating with forged government documents and allegedly used documents bearing the forged signature and name of Gbajabiamila to create the impression that the council had official presidential backing.
The Presidency further disclosed that Adeyemi is currently facing an eight-count criminal charge relating to forgery, fraud, and related offences, with the matter scheduled to continue in court on July 27, 2026.
Government officials maintained that there is no credible evidence supporting the bribery allegations against the Chief of Staff and reiterated that the claims should not be mistaken for established facts while judicial proceedings remain ongoing.
The controversy has also drawn attention to a budget provision of approximately ₦1.3 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act for a government entity bearing a similar name. However, the Presidency clarified that the budgetary entry is unrelated to Adeyemi’s alleged activities, insisting that no public funds were released in connection with the purported council he claimed to represent.
The Presidency urged the public to rely on verified information and allow the courts to determine the facts of the criminal case, reaffirming its commitment to transparency, accountability, and the prosecution of individuals involved in fraud or document forgery.
The case remains before the court, and the allegations against all parties will ultimately be determined through the judicial process.
