[Breaking] PFIPC scandal: Senate rejects motion to investigate controversial N1.3bn allocation

By Henry Umoru, Abuja

The Senate on Wednesday declined to launch a comprehensive investigation into the budgetary allocation, operations, and growing controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).

The move for a holistic probe was initiated by Senator Suleiman Kawu (APC, Kano South), who raised a point of order during plenary.

Citing Order 9 and Rule 9(c) of the Senate Standing Orders (2026), Kawu presented a motion titled, “Urgent Need to Investigate the Budgetary Allocation, Operations, and Controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) to safeguard the Integrity of the Senate and the Federal Government.”

In his presentation, Kawu argued that the controversies surrounding the council directly threaten the integrity of the Senate, the credibility of the National Assembly, and the legislature’s constitutional oversight and appropriation powers.

According to him, “The Senate notes with concern that, in recent weeks, the public space has been inundated with allegations, controversies, accusations and counter-accusations concerning an entity known as the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).

In his prayers, Senator Kawu urged the Senate to condemn in the strongest terms the administrative lapses, internal collaborations, or fraudulent schemes that enabled a purportedly nonexistent or unauthorised entity under Budget Code: 0111062001 to be incorporated into the 2026 Appropriation Act.

He also asked the Senate to direct the Committees on Ethics, Code of Conduct & Public Petitions; and Appropriations to conduct a comprehensive investigation surrounding the inclusion of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) in the 2026 Appropriation Act, with a view to determining the process through which the sum of N1,302,978,784 was proposed, scrutinised, justified and approved during the appropriation process; the ministries, departments and agencies as well as the public officials or other persons responsible for facilitating the recognition and inclusion of the PFIPC in the national budget; and whether any funds have been released, committed or expended under the budgetary allocation, including whether any bank account has been established or operated with the budget line.

After the presentation of the motion, the deputy president of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, APC, Kano North, who presided over the plenary, asked that the issue should not be discussed against the backdrop that the Executive was already handling the matter.

According to Jibrin, President Bola Tinubu had already asked the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the matter as he urged the Senate to wait for the executive.

Details later…