ADC rejects ICPC probe of PFIPC scandal, demands independent judicial panel

By Musa Baba Adamu

The (ADC) has dismissed President ‘s decision to mandate the (ICPC) to investigate the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) scandal, insisting that only an independent judicial panel can conduct a credible probe.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC argued that assigning the investigation to an executive agency creates the impression that the government is investigating itself in a matter that directly concerns the Presidency.
The opposition party maintained that while it welcomed the President’s decision to order an investigation, it viewed the move as an acknowledgment of its earlier demand that the allegations surrounding the PFIPC could not simply be dismissed without scrutiny.
According to the ADC, the Presidency lacks the credibility to supervise an investigation into a scandal in which it is itself a central subject, urging the President to constitute an independent judicial panel made up of respected Nigerians to ensure transparency and public confidence.
The party also expressed concern over what it described as the Presidency’s premature conclusion that appointment letters and other documents allegedly used by the central figure in the controversy, Adeyemi, were forged before any investigation had commenced.
It argued that one of the key objectives of the investigation should be to determine whether the documents were genuinely issued, fraudulently obtained or forged, warning that official statements appearing to predetermine the outcome could compromise the credibility of the probe.
The ADC further called for all public officials linked to the matter, including the President’s Chief of Staff, to be subjected to the same level of scrutiny. It urged the President to direct the Chief of Staff to step aside pending the outcome of the investigation to eliminate any perception of interference or conflict of interest.
The party also condemned the reported arrest of Adeyemi’s father, describing the action as unacceptable, and called on the government to ensure that investigations remain focused on established legal procedures rather than actions that could be perceived as intimidation.
The ADC concluded by demanding that the findings of any investigation be made public, insisting that Nigerians deserve full disclosure of the facts surrounding the PFIPC scandal rather than a report submitted solely to the President.