Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), says Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to President Bola Tinubu, could not have been involved in the controversy over the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Thursday, Wike reacted to claims by Adeniyi Adeyemi that Gbajabiamila knew about the controversial council.
The allegations pushed President Bola Tinubu to direct the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the matter.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar had asked opposition parties to monitor the probe, saying the federal government should not investigate itself.
Wike rejected Atiku’s position and said he had confidence in the president’s chief of staff.
“The demand by Atiku is rubbish. Without any prejudice, I know the chief of staff very, very well. He did not. Without prejudice…. there are people you target in government, to give bad name to your boss,” he said.
“This is chief of staff. This is the person who is in charge of finance and secretary to government. If you want to embarrass any government, these are the targets first.
“Chief of Staff is seen as someone who, if we get to him, the government will be embarrassed.
“Does it make sense? An agency that does not exist, that you will tell him to give him so and so amount of money. I mean, it’s madness.”
Wike also questioned why Adeyemi had stayed away from public view after making the claims, saying anyone with genuine allegations should appear before investigators instead of avoiding scrutiny.
The minister said he understood the situation because he had also faced false allegations since becoming FCT minister.
He recalled claims that one of his sons collected $2 million to help secure a land allocation in Abuja, describing it as an attempt to damage his reputation. Wike said he reported the matter to security agencies, leading to the arrest of the person behind the allegation. Investigators later found the claim was false after British Airways records showed his son had left the country earlier on the day the alleged transaction was said to have happened.
He added that although some people urged him to settle the matter quietly to avoid embarrassment, he refused, insisting he would not give in to blackmail.
The PFIPC controversy has drawn public attention after the presidency described the council as a fictitious organisation. Adeyemi is facing trial before a federal high court in Abuja on charges of alleged forgery, impersonation and related offences linked to his purported appointment as director-general of the council.
