The Presidency on Wednesday dismissed allegations linking the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, to an alleged appointment-for-cash scandal, describing his accuser, Adeniyi Matthew, an acclaimed Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council/Presidential Economic Advisory Council, as an impostor.
The rebuttal followed recent allegations by Matthew that Gbajabiamila demanded N27.4bn from the take-off grant of a purported agency and collected N400m, through proxies, to secure his appointment as director-general, with an outstanding balance of N200m.
He claimed the fallout over the balance led to tensions and further alleged assassination attempts on his life.
Matthew had called for an independent investigative panel that would include civil society and international organisations, compel Gbajabiamila to step aside, and make its findings public.
Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, acclaimed Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council/Presidential Economic Advisory Council. Credit: Bayo Onanuga
But in an official statement issued on Wednesday by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency described these claims as fabrications by a serial con artist.
The Presidency said security agencies had been investigating Matthew since October 2025 after the Office of the Chief of Staff petitioned the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force over alleged forgery of official appointment letters and impersonation of government officials.
“The attention of this office has been drawn to the activities of certain individuals and groups engaged in the forgery of official appointment letters purportedly issued from my office,” the Chief of Staff stated in the petition.
“The above development not only constitutes a serious criminal act but also undermines the integrity of the Presidency and the credibility of official government communication.
“I therefore urge you to initiate a thorough investigation to identify and apprehend those involved and also to uncover the network facilitating the forgery.”
The statement said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had also raised concerns over Matthew’s activities after he allegedly convened a meeting with ambassadors in Abuja without recourse to the ministry.
According to the Presidency, both the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation subsequently sought clarification on the status of the purported agency.
Responding to the enquiries, Gbajabiamila denied appointing Matthew or recognising the agency.
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“Prince Adeniyi Matthew, Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, is unknown to any office, nor do we have any dealings with the said council.
“My attention was drawn to a letter of this purported application, which is fake, and my office has instructed the police and other relevant security agencies to carry out investigations on the person and the entity he claims to represent,” the Chief of Staff wrote.
The Presidency said police investigations established that the agency was fictitious and that Adeyemi forged his appointment letter and other official documents while falsely presenting himself as a government appointee.
It further stated that investigators searched his office in Abuja and residence in Suleja, recovering documents they said linked him to the alleged fraud.
According to the statement, police also discovered that Matthew operated 34 bank accounts, including nine allegedly opened in the names of fictitious agencies, and fraudulently opened a Central Bank of Nigeria account by misleading the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
“The act of the suspect constitutes criminal forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence, thereby bringing the office of the Chief of Staff to the President and the Presidency to disrepute before the public and international community,” the police report quoted in the statement read.
The Presidency said Matthew and two others were subsequently arraigned before the Federal High Court, Abuja, on an eight-count charge in November 2025 and that the matter is scheduled for hearing on July 27.
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It added that Matthew’s recent allegations against the Chief of Staff were made while he was on police bail and were inconsistent with the statement he had earlier made to investigators.
“His new claim prompted the Chief of Staff, on June 8, to issue a disclaimer consistent with earlier advisories that the man, called Adeyemi, is an impostor,” the statement said.
The Presidency urged politicians and members of the public not to rely on Matthew’s allegations, noting that the matter is before the court.
“Politicians and members of the public who are weaponising Adeyemi’s claim against the Chief of Staff should refrain from swallowing his narrative hook, line and sinker. They are advised to await the trial of Adeyemi and his accomplices, as well as the court’s judgement, as comments made today are sub judice.”
