A former presidential spokesperson, Mr Laolu Akande, has called on the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, to step aside from office amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the disputed Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).
Akande made the call during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Thursday.
His comments followed the detention of Adeniyi Adeyemi, who allegedly presented himself as the Director-General of the controversial PFIPC, an agency whose existence and inclusion in government financial planning have generated public debate.
Akande said public officials facing serious allegations should consider stepping aside to protect the integrity of ongoing investigations and maintain public confidence.
“Gbajabiamila holds it to himself, his family, the President and Nigerians, to step aside. It is just the common human decent thing to do,” he said.
The former aide noted that Adeyemi had denied involvement in the inclusion of the disputed agency in the national budget, stressing that the claims would need to be properly investigated.
“Adeyemi has told Nigerians that he knew nothing about the itemising of the ‘fake’ agency in the budget. I’m not saying what he said is true or not true,” Akande said.
He argued that allowing senior government officials linked to allegations of such magnitude to remain in office could affect public perception of the credibility and fairness of the investigation.
“You cannot have somebody making those huge significant claims about those that are in government and then the people are still sitting there. How do you ever think it will create an impression of trust?” he asked.
Akande further questioned whether Nigerians would consider the investigation impartial if officials connected to the controversy remained in their positions.
“How do you think that people will consider that the investigation that the President has ordered is going to be fair if they are still there?” he added.
The controversy surrounding the PFIPC emerged after questions were raised over the status of the body and its appearance in government financial documents.
President Bola Tinubu has ordered an investigation into the matter to determine the circumstances surrounding the disputed agency.
