A ₦400 million bribery allegation and a ₦27.4 billion budget line for an agency that may not exist — together, they have put President Tinubu’s Chief of Staff squarely in Atiku Abubakar’s crosshairs.
The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has called for the immediate suspension of Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, pending an independent investigation into the allegations swirling around him.
In a statement from the Atiku Media Office, the former Vice President said the controversy had grown beyond a single bribery claim into a serious question about the integrity of Nigeria’s 2026 national budget.
The allegations originated with one Adeniyi Adeyemi, who identified himself as the self-appointed Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
Adeyemi accused Gbajabiamila of involvement in an alleged ₦400 million bribery scandal connected to the Council.
Gbajabiamila allegedly responded by stating that the PFIPC does not exist as a government agency — a denial that Atiku said made things considerably worse, not better.
Atiku argued that if the PFIPC genuinely does not exist, a far more troubling question follows: why does the 2026 national budget reportedly contain a ₦27.4 billion allocation for it?
“How can you allocate ₦27.4 billion in the budget to a government agency that doesn’t exist without leaving more questions than answers?” he asked.
Atiku Says Tinubu Must Hold His Chief of Staff Accountable
Atiku made clear that he was not simply raising political noise. He framed the call for Gbajabiamila’s suspension as a test of whether President Bola Tinubu is genuinely committed to the accountability he has publicly espoused.
“Good governance is based on transparency and accountability and you can’t achieve that by protecting your family and friends. President Tinubu must lead by example by holding his Chief of Staff to the same standards of accountability as other public officials.”
He added with pointed directness: “₦27 billion is not a joke. The rule of law must prevail in this issue. Let President Tinubu prove to Nigerians that he is sincerely committed to accountability in his administration.”
Gbajabiamila, a Lagos politician and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, has been one of the most influential figures in Tinubu’s inner circle since the administration began in May 2023.
His appointment as Chief of Staff placed him at the centre of executive coordination — making the current allegations politically sensitive at a time when the 2027 election campaign is already taking shape.
Pro-Tinubu Group Fires Back, Questions Atiku’s Moral Standing
The response from Tinubu’s supporters was swift and sharp. The Arewa Youth Integrity Forum (AYIF), in a statement signed by its National President, Alhaji Mohammed Aliyu, dismissed Atiku’s intervention as rank hypocrisy and pre-election desperation.
“Gbajabiamila is a saint compared to the mountain of corruption cases that define Atiku Abubakar’s public life. While we support thorough investigation into any allegation, Atiku lacks the moral standing to lecture anyone on integrity.”
The group went further, framing Atiku’s call as deliberate political theatre rather than a sincere concern for accountability.
“His call is nothing but political mischief aimed at distracting Nigerians from his own tainted history. The Arewa Youth Integrity Forum will not sit idly by while a serial controversy magnet pretends to be a crusader.”
AYIF said unproven allegations should not be weaponised by opposition figures whose own public records invite scrutiny — a pointed reference to the long-running corruption controversies that have followed Atiku across decades of Nigerian public life.
The dispute now sits at the intersection of genuine accountability questions about budgetary transparency and the intensifying political warfare ahead of 2027.
