By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
The Senate has rejected a call for it to launch a fresh investigation into the controversial allocation of N1.3 billion to the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) in the 2026 budget.
The Red Chambers stressed that it would await the outcome of the ongoing probe by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) ordered by President Bola Tinubu.
The decision followed a point of order raised by the Senator representing Kano South, Kawu Sumaila, during plenary on Wednesday, July 8, urging the Senate to investigate how the agency, which the Presidency has described as non-existent, secured a N1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
As Sumaila began presenting his motion, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who presided over plenary, interrupted him, noting that the matter ought to have come before the Senate as a substantive motion.
In his point of order, Sumaila said the controversy surrounding the PFIPC had raised grave institutional concerns about the integrity of the nation’s budget process.
He noted that despite the executive’s public disowning of the agency, it was allocated N1,302,978,000 under budget code 0111062001 in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
“I rise today under Order 9 and Rule 9(c) of the Senate Standing Orders, 2026, to draw the attention of this hallowed Chamber to a matter of grave institutional concern.
“The issues raised directly affect the integrity of the Senate, the credibility of the National Assembly, and the effective exercise of our constitutional oversight and appropriation responsibilities.
“Notwithstanding the executive’s public disapproval of this agency, the entirety was incorporated in the 2026 Appropriation Act under Code 0111062001 with a budgetary allocation of N1,302,978,000, thereby raising a serious question regarding the integrity of the budget preparation and appropriation process,” he said.
Sumaila further disclosed that the allocation comprised more than N800 million for personnel costs, over N200 million for overheads, and more than N300 million for capital expenditure.
The lawmaker argued that the inclusion of a purportedly non-existent agency in the national budget undermined public confidence in the appropriation process and exposed weaknesses in legislative scrutiny.
He urged the Senate to mandate its Committees on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, and Appropriations to launch investigation into how the allocation was proposed, scrutinised, justified, and approved.
The lawmaker also sought an inquiry into whether any funds had been released, committed, or spent under the budget line and whether any bank account had been opened or operated in connection with the allocation.
However, the Senate leadership opposed the proposal to launch a fresh investigation into the matter, citing the ongoing investigation by the ICPC as ordered by President Tinubu.
Responding, Barau said the Presidency had already directed the ICPC to investigate the matter and that the commission had commenced work.
He said the Senate should wait for the outcome of the investigation before deciding on any further legislative action.
“As I said earlier, the presidency has taken up this matter by directing that the ICPC should investigate fully how this matter came to be.
“And I think ICPC has started. I believe that what we need to do at this stage is to have the report of the ICPC, and then we can act on that report and deal with it as we feel appropriate,” Barau said.
Recall that the controversy surrounding the establishment of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council sparked public outrage, following which Tinubu ordered the ICPC to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the activities of the agency, which the Presidency said was never established by the Federal Government and has no legal basis.
In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Tuesday, July 7, Tinubu directed the ICPC to submit its findings within 30 days.
According to the statement, the investigation will cover alleged forged appointment letters and official government documents reportedly used by one Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew, who allegedly presented himself as Director-General of the council and falsely claimed to be a presidential appointee.
The probe will also examine allegations that he used the false claim to seek official recognition and diplomatic support, including visa facilitation, opened multiple bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies using allegedly forged documents, and the circumstances that enabled the fictitious body to appear legitimate.
