Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has fiercely defended President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, dismissing allegations linking him to the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) and launching a blistering attack on opposition figures demanding his removal.
Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja, Wike insisted that Gbajabiamila had no connection with the alleged scheme involving the disputed council, describing calls for his dismissal as politically motivated and devoid of substance.
“I know the Chief of Staff very, very well. He did not. People are saying the Chief of Staff must be sacked. By whom? The opposition? Why not form a government, and then you can sack whoever you want to sack,” Wike said.
The minister argued that officials occupying strategic positions in government are often subjected to calculated smear campaigns aimed at undermining the President and discrediting his administration.
According to him, the allegations against Gbajabiamila were part of a familiar pattern in which key government figures are singled out to create public outrage and weaken confidence in the government.
Rejecting claims that the Chief of Staff directed the payment of public funds to a non-existent government agency, Wike described the allegation as illogical and impossible.
“Does it make sense? An agency that does not exist, that he told somebody to give so-and-so amount of money? It is madness,” he declared.
He further explained that the Office of the Chief of Staff has no constitutional responsibility for preparing or administering the national budget, making the allegations fundamentally flawed.
“We have a budget. Is it the responsibility of the Chief of Staff to create the budget? No. It is not possible,” he added.
Wike also questioned the credibility of the whistleblower behind the allegations, insisting that anyone with genuine evidence should submit themselves to security agencies instead of fleeing public scrutiny.
“If the young man knows that what he said is correct, why is he running away? How can you make such a heinous allegation and then run for your life? You need to be interrogated,” he said.
He maintained that anyone making such weighty accusations should present documentary evidence, including phone records and communications, before investigators.
Drawing from his own experience, Wike recalled facing what he described as fabricated allegations while serving both as Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Government and now as FCT Minister.
He recounted an accusation that his son collected two million dollars in exchange for facilitating land allocation in Abuja, noting that investigations established his son was outside Nigeria when the alleged transaction supposedly occurred.
“My son travelled on British Airways that morning, while they claimed the money was given that same night. We asked the police to verify everything with British Airways,” he said.
According to Wike, he rejected advice from some associates to quietly settle the accuser in order to avoid negative publicity.
“They told me, because of your position, instead of being embarrassed, why not settle the guy? I said settle what? This cheap blackmail? I will not allow that.”
The minister also turned his fire on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, dismissing his criticism of the Tinubu administration and accusing opposition politicians of exploiting the controversy for political gain.
“That man, Atiku Abubakar and co., is neither here nor there. It is rubbish,” Wike declared.
He argued that the speed with which opposition figures demanded Gbajabiamila’s removal, even before any investigation was concluded, exposed what he described as a desperate attempt to score political points rather than pursue accountability.
The controversy centres on the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), an entity the Presidency has denied exists despite documents in the 2026 Appropriation Act reportedly indicating that it received a budgetary allocation of ₦1.3 billion.
The matter escalated after Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who identified himself as the council’s Executive Secretary, accused Gbajabiamila of demanding 48 per cent of the council’s alleged take-off grant, valued at ₦27.4 billion. He also alleged that ₦400 million was paid through a proxy to facilitate his appointment, with an outstanding balance of ₦200 million yet to be paid.
The Presidency has denied the allegations and disassociated itself from the PFIPC, setting the stage for an intensifying political battle over the claims, the agency’s legal status and the demand for a full investigation into the controversy.