PFIPC Scandal Deepens as Fugitive, Adeniyi Adeyemi Denies Meeting Gbajabiamila, Refuses to Clear Chief of Staff as He Speaks to VeryDarkBlackMan

…as He Promises to Turn Self to Police, DSS, Tender Documents

Fresh twists have emerged in the controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) after the self-acclaimed Director-General of the illegal body, Mathew Adeniyi Adeyemi, denied ever meeting with the Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.

Adeyemi, who is currently on the run, made the disclosure during a telephone interview with activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkBlackMan (VDM), from his undisclosed hiding place. While distancing himself from claims that he met Gbajabiamila in person, he also declined to categorically confirm or deny the Chief of Staff’s involvement in the controversy surrounding the alleged PFIPC.

His latest comments come about 72 hours after Gbajabiamila’s lawyers, Kemi Pinheiro LP, issued legal threats against him over allegations made against the Chief of Staff.

At the beginning of the 16-minute, 26-second video of the conversation obtained on Tuesday, VDM explained that Adeyemi had initially called him and that he returned the call after realizing it was the fugitive on the line.

During the interview, VDM sought to clarify several of the allegations previously made by Adeyemi.

VDM asked, “Let’s start with this: did you at any point in time meet with Femi Gbaja one-on-one to discuss this whole thing?”

Responding, Adeyemi simply said, “no.”

VDM followed up with another question, “Did you speak on the phone to discuss this whole thing?”

Adeyemi replied, “Yes, like three times I’ve once spoken to him through my late friend, Dolapo Tanimola.”

Questioning whether the person on the other end of those calls could have been an impersonator, VDM asked, “How are you sure it was Gbaja? Did you speak to him on video call? Anybody could have collected that phone.”

Adeyemi responded, “No, it was not on video call.”

The self-acclaimed PFIPC Director-General also confirmed that all dealings were conducted through his late associate after VDM asked him to verify whether “every transaction that was done was through your friend and that your friend is late.”

As the interview progressed, VDM suggested that the Chief of Staff might genuinely have had no involvement in the matter, saying, “If the Chief of Staff is coming to say he is not the one, it is possible (that he is not). In Nigeria, anything can happen.”

Adeyemi agreed, replying, “Of course! Yes.”

VDM also pressed him on whether there was a possibility that Gbajabiamila knew nothing about the alleged fraud and whether the Chief of Staff had lied in his public denial.

Responding, Adeyemi said, “I wouldn’t say he is lying and I wouldn’t say he is saying the truth.”

He added that this uncertainty was the reason he had called on President Bola Tinubu to order a thorough investigation into the entire scandal.

The latest remarks mark a significant shift from Adeyemi’s earlier claims. At a press conference held on June 25, 2026, the self-acclaimed PFIPC boss had accused Gbajabiamila of demanding a 48 per cent share of the council’s alleged ₦27.4 billion take-off grant, an amount he claimed was approximately ₦12.5 billion.

Adeyemi also alleged that the Chief of Staff received ₦400 million in connection with appointments linked to the entity, among other accusations.

Gbajabiamila, through his lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), firmly denied all the allegations, insisting that he had never had any contact whatsoever with Adeyemi. The Chief of Staff also threatened a ₦10 billion defamation suit over claims linking him to bribery, murder and other criminal conduct.

Meanwhile, President Tinubu has directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the PFIPC controversy and submit its findings within 30 days.

Adeyemi is currently facing a criminal trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja over his alleged role in operating the PFIPC, a body the Presidency has described as fictitious. The case has been adjourned until July 14, 2026.

During the interview with VDM, Adeyemi also promised to surrender himself to either the police or the Department of State Services (DSS). However, as of the time of filing this report, it remained unclear whether he had honoured that promise or appeared before any of the security agencies.