PFIPC: Fake DG tricked me with presidency letterhead — Kalu

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, says he unknowingly granted a meeting to the alleged Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, after receiving what appeared to be an official letter bearing the Presidency’s insignia.

Kalu made the disclosure during plenary on Wednesday while supporting a motion calling for a full investigation into the activities of the alleged council, which has been disowned by the Presidency.

According to the deputy speaker, his office received a letter dated May 2, 2025, carrying the Presidency’s letterhead and identifying the sender as the Director-General of both the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and the PFIPC.

He said the correspondence appeared convincing because it contained an address at the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja and the official-looking website, pfipc.gov.ng.

Kalu explained that although some aspects of the letter raised suspicion, he instructed members of his staff to verify the organisation’s office before approving the meeting.

He said his team confirmed that the office existed at the stated location, prompting him to receive the delegation.

According to Kalu, the visitors had requested to discuss constitutional amendment, economic governance, legislative priorities and foreign investment, but shifted focus once the meeting began.

“They did not talk about the Constitution that we were amending. They were more interested in taking photographs,” he told lawmakers.

The deputy speaker said the incident exposed weaknesses in verifying organisations claiming affiliation with the Federal Government, stressing that an official-looking letterhead or office address should no longer be accepted as proof of legitimacy.

He urged the House to back the investigation to determine how the purported council operated and presented itself as a government agency.

The PFIPC became the subject of national controversy after it appeared as a beneficiary in the 2026 Appropriation Act despite the Presidency insisting that no such agency was ever established.

Following the controversy, President Bola Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the activities of the council, including how it was captured in the federal budget, and identify all those responsible for the alleged fraud.