Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has faulted the Presidency’s defence of Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, insisting that the Presidency has no constitutional authority to exonerate anyone accused of criminal wrongdoing.
Falana’s remarks come after the Presidency dismissed allegations linking Gbajabiamila to Adeniyi Adeyemi, a man accused of posing as the Director-General of two government agencies that authorities say do not exist.
Reacting to the Presidency’s statement, Falana argued that allegations involving fraud and corruption should be handled by law enforcement agencies—not political offices.
According to the senior advocate, it is the responsibility of agencies such as the Nigeria Police Force, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate such claims.
“The Presidency is not in a position to clear anybody. It is the duty of the police and anti-graft agencies to investigate cases of official corruption.”
He added:
“The Presidency can only refer Femi Gbajabiamila, as well as the other individual, to the ICPC because allegations of fraud and corruption have been raised.”
Beyond the allegations against Adeyemi, Falana also raised concerns over reports that ₦24 billion was allegedly budgeted for the agency Adeyemi claimed to represent.
He questioned how funds could have been allocated to an organization that the government now says never existed.
“The government will have to explain to Nigerians how a sum of ₦24 billion was budgeted for an unknown agency, as well as how that agency had accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria.”
The controversy follows a statement released by Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, who maintained that neither Adeyemi nor the agencies he claimed to head had any official recognition under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
According to the Presidency, Gbajabiamila alerted security agencies in October 2025 after discovering that forged appointment letters bearing his name were allegedly being used by individuals claiming to represent a non-existent government agency.
The statement added that Adeyemi was subsequently arrested and charged before the Federal High Court in Abuja on allegations including forgery, impersonation and conspiracy.
Onanuga also urged politicians and members of the public to avoid concluding while the matter remains before the court.
Despite the Presidency’s denial, Adeyemi has continued to insist that Gbajabiamila received money through proxies in connection with his alleged appointment.
He has also called on President Tinubu to establish an independent investigative panel to examine the claims.
However, the Presidency has repeatedly dismissed those allegations, insisting that both the purported appointment and the agencies in question have no legal existence under the current administration.
Falana’s intervention has now added another dimension to the controversy, with the senior lawyer maintaining that only a proper investigation—not statements from the Presidency—can determine the truth of the allegations.
