PFIPC: Govt drowning in scandals can’t investigate itself — ADC

By Luminous Jannamike, Abuja

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Wednesday rejected President Bola Tinubu’s decision to hand the investigation into the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) scandal to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), arguing that the presidency cannot credibly investigate a scandal in which it is itself at the centre of the allegations.

For the ADC, the issue boils down to one question: can a government investigate allegations that reach into its own corridors of power? The party says only an independent inquiry can answer that question credibly.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, made the party’s position known in a statement, arguing that President Tinubu’s directive to the ICPC amounted to an in-house investigation of a scandal that has triggered widespread public scrutiny at home and abroad.

“A government that is drowning in scandals cannot be trusted to investigate itself,” Abdullahi declared.

The ADC said its objection went beyond the choice of the ICPC. While recalling that it had earlier called for an independent inquiry and identified the institutions it believed should be investigated, the party argued that President Tinubu’s decision to order a probe amounted to an acknowledgement that the allegations could no longer be dismissed, despite what it described as the presidency’s initial response.

Instead, it urged the president to constitute an independent judicial panel made up of trusted Nigerians, insisting that only such a body could produce findings capable of commanding public confidence.

“A Presidency that is at the very heart of a historic scandal such as this does not have the credibility to authorise an investigation into a matter that has brought an entire country into disrepute,” Abdullahi said.

The ADC also accused the presidency of prejudging a key issue the investigation is expected to resolve by describing appointment letters and other documents linked to the controversy as forged before any inquiry had begun.

As the statement put it, “The investigation must be allowed to independently determine whether the documents were forged, improperly issued, fraudulently obtained, or lawfully issued under the authority of the presidency. The credibility of the entire exercise depends on allowing investigators to follow the evidence wherever it leads, rather than predetermining the outcome through official pronouncements.”

The party then questioned whether every office connected to the presidency, including the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President, would face the same level of scrutiny.

It said the chief of staff should step aside pending the investigation to avoid any perception that the office could influence its outcome.

The ADC also insisted that the findings should not remain within government, urging the presidency to publish the full, unredacted report instead of releasing only its conclusions.

“The president must commit to releasing the full, unredacted report at the end of the investigation. Merely announcing the outcome, or punishing a few expendable officials or scapegoats, will not satisfy a nation crying out for justice,” Abdullahi said.

The statement also condemned the reported arrest of Mr Adeyemi Adeniyi’s father, describing it as a clear attempt at intimidation.

“This act of intimidation only strengthens the impression that the government is panicking and is desperate to hide the truth rather than uncover it,” Abdullahi said.

The ADC argued that Nigerian law does not recognise vicarious criminal liability, insisting that only a person suspected of committing an offence should be arrested. It questioned why relatives were allegedly being targeted while public officials who may have questions to answer remained in office.

The party said the PFIPC controversy had exposed what it described as either deep institutional weakness or official culpability, warning that any attempt to manage the fallout instead of uncovering the truth would only deepen public distrust.

“It must therefore not be swept under the presidential red carpet,” the party said.

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