The controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) took a fresh turn on Wednesday as the Coalition for Truth and Justice questioned the legal existence of the body and called on the Federal Government to immediately investigate its activities and alleged inclusion in the 2026 federal budget.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, the coalition dismissed claims by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi that he is the Director General of the PFIPC, insisting that there is no legal basis for the council’s existence under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The group also condemned what it described as attempts to drag the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, into allegations of bribery following his public denial of any knowledge of the council or its purported appointments.

In a statement jointly signed by the coalition’s Convener, Chief Henry Abba, Secretary, Dr. Emeka Theodore, and Programmes Director, Abdulhahi Sarki Barki, the group argued that no government institution can exist without proper legal backing.

“Public institutions are not created by press releases, while presidential appointments are not validated by social media claims. Agencies of government are not brought into existence by strident personal insistence,” the statement said.

According to the coalition, there is no evidence that PFIPC was established through the Federal Government Gazette, inaugurated by the Presidency, or that any appointment letter was issued to Prince Adeyemi through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation or any other recognised government channel.

“An illegal structure does not become legal merely because it appears in some official-looking corner. A questionable entity does not become a lawful agency because it wrangled its way into a budget document,” the coalition added.

The group expressed particular concern over reports that PFIPC, or a combined Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, appeared in the 2026 Appropriation records under the Presidency with an allocation reportedly exceeding ₦1 billion.

It described the development as a serious contradiction that raises questions about possible manipulation of the budget process and called for a comprehensive investigation into how the entity allegedly found its way into government records.

To clarify the controversy, the coalition posed nine questions to the authorities, seeking information on the legal instrument establishing PFIPC, the alleged appointment of its officials, inauguration records, budgetary provisions, financial transactions conducted in its name, and whether any individuals within government facilitated its recognition.

The group also questioned whether there had been attempts to pressure or blackmail senior government officials into reversing the Presidency’s position that the council does not exist.

It called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct a full investigation into the origin, operations and financial activities of PFIPC, while urging the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to issue an official clarification on the council’s status.

The coalition further appealed to the National Assembly to investigate the reported budget allocation linked to the entity and urged anti-corruption agencies to trace any public funds released or private funds solicited in the council’s name.

Warning against any move to legitimise the body through administrative means, the coalition said Nigeria could not afford to reward impunity, stressing that any attempt to regularise an entity without lawful establishment would undermine public confidence in government institutions.