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The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, revealed on Saturday that President Bola Tinubu resisted intense political pressure to sanction or remove him over bribery allegations linked to a fictitious presidential investment council before security agencies concluded statutory investigations.
Speaking publicly for the first time on the controversy during the 2026 Gbaja Mega Empowerment Programme at the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, Gbajabiamila disclosed that formal investigations by the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) cleared him of any criminal wrongdoing.
The scandal erupted after one Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, parading himself as the Director-General of a purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), accused Gbajabiamila of collecting ₦400 million through a proxy and demanding an additional ₦200 million to facilitate his appointment.
Gbajabiamila said political detractors had pressed the President to deliver a swift guilty verdict against him before the facts were established.
“The past few months have tested me in ways I never expected. Stories were written, strange accusations were made, lies were told, and my integrity was questioned,” Gbajabiamila told the gathering.
“I must thank my principal, President Bola Tinubu. Many people wanted him to rush to judgment and give a verdict before the investigation. He refused and insisted on due process.”
He maintained that Tinubu’s deep familiarity with his work over decades gave the President the confidence to dismiss the clamour and let investigators do their job.
The Chief of Staff, who voluntarily appeared before the ICPC in July 2026, said the investigative reports exonerating him are already in the public domain.
He dismissed the episode as an orchestrated smear campaign, warning that neither internal sabotage nor public blackmail would push him off his desk.
“No amount of money, no amount of blackmail or lies, whether sponsored from within or outside, will detract me from my work and the work Mr President has given me to do,” he said.
He also issued a direct warning to racketeers using his name to solicit money or promise federal appointments, stating that security agencies have been directed to arrest and prosecute culprits.
The Presidency had disowned the PFIPC shortly after the allegations broke, clarifying that the federal government never established such an agency.
A subsequent investigation by an ad-hoc committee of the House of Representatives corroborated the Presidency’s position, finding no record of Gbajabiamila’s involvement and confirming that the appointment letter tendered by Adeyemi was forged.
Reflecting on his relationship with the President, Gbajabiamila delivered a rare insight into their political ties.
“In politics, loyalty is the currency we spend the most,” he stated. “I have been with Mr President for many years and there have been times when his political decisions did not favour my wishes. I did not question his leadership and never betrayed his trust in me. I stayed loyal then and I remain loyal now.”
At the constituency outreach, Gbajabiamila disbursed ₦1.15 billion in cash grants and operational equipment to 5,000 beneficiaries.
The distribution saw 3,905 beneficiaries receive ₦250,000 each, while 348 small enterprise owners received ₦500,000 each in direct business support.
Assets handed over included 61 electric vehicles, 50 electric tricycles, 60 commercial minibuses, 100 laptops, four Toyota HiAce passenger buses, two police patrol utility vehicles, and a fully equipped ambulance.
Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, who attended the programme, said the ruling All Progressives Congress remains grounded in direct grassroots delivery, arguing that sustained engagement with communities must remain continuous rather than restricted to election cycles.
