House panel clears Gbajabiamila of PFIPC involvement, finds forged documents

President Bola Tinubu's Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, received exoneration from a House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee regarding his involvement with the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, an entity subjected to legislative inquiry. Rep. Yusuf Gagdi of Plateau State chaired the committee, which unveiled its preliminary conclusions this week.

The investigators' determination: no evidence supported claims that Gbajabiamila approved, established, or participated in the organisation's daily operations. According to the panel's probe, the council possessed no legitimate establishment as a Federal Government entity.

A pivotal discovery emerged from the committee's work: materials purporting to confer official standing on the agency—supposedly originating from both the Presidency and Parliament—displayed characteristics consistent with forgery. Rather than involvement in such activities, Gbajabiamila acted appropriately by notifying relevant enforcement and inquiry agencies once he became aware of the purported council's dubious nature.

Budgetary inclusion of the PFIPC spurred intensified parliamentary attention to the matter. The legislative investigation sought to verify whether genuine government backing existed for the body and pinpoint those responsible for its creation.

The revelation involving fabricated documents transformed the inquiry from simple administrative lapses into potential criminal document falsification. Materials and witness accounts gathered during the panel's work, based on preliminary committee findings, substantiated conclusions about Gbajabiamila's non-involvement.

This exoneration comes as federal operations undergo heightened scrutiny regarding administrative entities and budgetary line-items. Committee observations suggest participation by individuals outside the Chief of Staff's office, though present documentation fails to identify those who manufactured the forged materials or confirm whether additional investigations proceed.