ABUJA, NIGERIA — The ongoing controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC)—disowned by Aso Rock as a fictitious entity—has taken a dramatic turn on social media. This follows an “independent investigation” by online activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), who declared the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, “100% innocent” of any wrongdoing.
However, VDM’s blanket exoneration of the country’s top administrative officer has triggered intense skepticism. Critics and public affairs analysts are questioning the influencer’s investigative capabilities, methodology, and the suspicious political undertone of a social media “clearance” in a case that is still heavily shrouded in secrecy.
The “Clearance” That Raised Eyebrows
In a video posted across his social media handles, VDM boldly came out to defend the Chief of Staff, asserting that Gbajabiamila was a victim of malicious character assassination.
“This is why I take pride in my integrity,” VDM stated. “The evidence I’m presenting shows that, no matter how bad a person’s reputation may be, nobody deserves to bear the weight of false accusations. After conducting my own investigation, I concluded that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, is innocent… I believe he had no involvement and is 100% innocent.”
While Gbajabiamila’s supporters have welcomed the video, critics argue that the “investigation” lacked any rigorous forensic audit, bank trail tracking, or administrative verification. Instead, the entire verdict of innocence rested on a single video call with the fugitive “Director-General” of the PFIPC, Mathew Adeniyi Adeyemi.
How the Fugitive “DG” Backtracked Under Interrogation
During the exclusive video interview conducted by VDM, Adeyemi—who is currently facing an eight-count federal charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery, and impersonation—made a series of startling admissions that heavily compromised his previous claims:
- No Face-to-Face Meeting: Adeyemi admitted that he has never met Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila in person.
- No Video Call Verification: Although Adeyemi claimed to have spoken with Gbajabiamila on the phone three times, he admitted these calls were not video calls. He could not prove that the voice on the other end was actually Gbajabiamila and not an impersonator.
- The “Late Friend” Conduit: Adeyemi revealed that all physical and financial transactions regarding the establishment of the agency were handled through his friend, Dolapo Tanimola, who has since died in a tragic fire incident at a hotel in Utako, Abuja.
When pressed by VDM on whether Gbajabiamila could have been completely unaware of the entire operation, Adeyemi walked back his definitive stance: “I wouldn’t say he is lying, and I wouldn’t say he is telling the truth”.
The Unanswered Questions VDM’s “Investigation” Ignored
While VDM’s interview successfully exposed the legal loopholes in Adeyemi’s personal accusations, security analysts insist that declaring the Chief of Staff “100% innocent” of the entire systemic scandal is both premature and highly suspicious.
Social media influencers, they argue, do not possess the statutory power or forensic tools to resolve the deeper administrative anomalies of the PFIPC puzzle:
| S/N | The Unresolved Anomalies | The Critical Questions |
| 1 | The Budgetary Mystery | If the agency is completely “fake,” how did it secure a ₦1.3 billion allocation in the national budget passed by the National Assembly and assented to by the President? Adeyemi claims he was in police detention for 23 days when the budget was prepared and defended. Who inserted it? |
| 2 | Administrative Access | How did a fictitious agency operate for nearly three years, secure physical office spaces within government premises (the Ministry of Health wing), and correspond with various MDAs without being detected? |
| 3 | Banking Infrastructure | Investigators have traced 34 bank accounts linked to the PFIPC, including accounts opened with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). How did a fake agency bypass stringent federal KYC and TSA protocols? |
A Defamation Threat and the Official ICPC Probe
Before VDM’s video intervention, Gbajabiamila, through his legal counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, had issued a 72-hour ultimatum to Adeyemi, threatening a ₦10 billion defamation lawsuit over accusations of corruption, bribery, and abuse of office.
While the social media space remains divided over VDM’s sudden role as an “exonerating authority,” the federal government has signaled that the matter will not be settled on TikTok or Instagram. President Bola Tinubu recently directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to conduct a thorough, 30-day investigation into how the fraudulent council found its way into the national budget.
Until the ICPC submits its forensic findings and the federal high court in Abuja concludes its trial, many Nigerians believe that VDM’s hasty clearance of the Chief of Staff remains a politically convenient distraction.
247ureports.com will continue to monitor the court proceedings and the ICPC’s progress as this high-stakes investigation unfolds.
