Human rights activist and African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has launched a fresh attack on President Bola Tinubu and his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, over the controversy surrounding the alleged ₦400 million bribery scandal linked to the disputed Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
Sowore, reacting to the unfolding allegations, questioned the credibility of the Tinubu administration and dismissed any suggestion that Gbajabiamila could have acted alone in a matter of such magnitude. In a statement shared on his social media platform, he accused both men of having long standing corruption issues and argued that Nigerians should not be shocked by the claims now making the rounds.
The controversy stems from allegations made by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew, who claimed to have served as head of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, an organisation the Presidency has since described as non existent. Adeyemi had accused Gbajabiamila of receiving ₦400 million through a proxy in connection with his alleged appointment and the creation of the council.
The Presidency has, however, rejected the allegation and insisted that Adeyemi had no legitimate link to the State House. It also accused him of impersonation and forgery.
Weighing in on the matter, Sowore said it was difficult to understand why anyone would assume the President’s Chief of Staff acted without Tinubu’s knowledge. He argued that the allegations fit into what he described as a wider pattern surrounding the current administration and insisted that the public should not treat the matter as an isolated case.
Sowore also revived old controversies involving Gbajabiamila, alleging that the former Speaker of the House of Representatives had a questionable history during his time as a lawyer in Atlanta, United States. He further turned his attention to President Tinubu, referencing previous allegations tied to the President’s past in Chicago, including claims connected to drug trafficking and an asset forfeiture case.
According to him, it makes little sense to suggest that Tinubu would suddenly discover wrongdoing around a close ally he has known for years. Sowore maintained that the issue goes beyond whether the President was aware of the alleged bribery claim, saying the bigger concern should be the integrity of the government itself.
The dispute over the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council deepened after the Presidency publicly disowned the body and denied that it was ever an official government agency. That development was followed by legal action from the Nigeria Police Force, which arraigned Adeyemi before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations that he forged presidential appointment letters and other State House documents to run the council.
The Federal Government subsequently filed an eight count charge against Adeyemi and two other suspects identified as Femi and Anu, who are currently said to be at large.
According to the police, the case began after the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President submitted a petition following reports that appointment letters allegedly issued from the office were being circulated.
