Media adviser to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe has called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and other officials allegedly linked to the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) pending the outcome of an investigation.
Ibe criticised Tinubu’s directive to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the PFIPC without first placing key individuals connected to the matter on suspension.
In a post shared on his X account on Tuesday, Ibe described the decision as inappropriate, arguing that allowing the officials to remain in office during the investigation could compromise the integrity of the process.
According to him, failure to suspend those implicated in what he described as the “GbajaGate” scandal amounts to allowing them to influence an investigation in which they are key subjects.
President Tinubu had directed the ICPC to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the PFIPC after the Presidency declared the council a fictitious body with no legal backing or presidential approval. The anti-corruption agency was given 30 days to submit its findings.
The controversy intensified after Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who claimed to be the council’s Director-General, alleged that he paid ₦600 million—including ₦400 million through intermediaries to secure the position. He also accused Gbajabiamila of demanding 48 per cent of the agency’s alleged take-off grant.
The Presidency has dismissed Matthew’s claims, describing him as an impostor and maintaining that the PFIPC does not exist. However, questions remain over reports that the council received a ₦1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act and allegedly operated accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Ibe’s demand adds to growing calls for greater accountability over the controversy. The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, have also urged the President to suspend Gbajabiamila while investigations are ongoing.
