The self-proclaimed Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, has denied allegations that he single-handedly created the disputed agency, claiming that several Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) officially recognised, processed or interacted with the council.
Adeyemi, who is currently in police custody, made the claims in a statement issued on Sunday through his legal team and signed by Festus Akhigbe.
The statement also called on the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the council to allow Adeyemi to appear before it and present his side of the matter.
His lawyers argued that denying him the opportunity to testify before the committee, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi, would amount to a violation of his constitutional right to a fair hearing.
“We formally request that the panel grant the necessary administrative clearance to enable our client, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, to appear in person and testify.
“Any investigative outcome or final legislative report produced without giving our client the opportunity to be heard would be fundamentally flawed, incomplete and a clear violation of the constitutional principle of fair hearing (audi alteram partem),” the statement said.
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The defence team also rejected attempts to portray Adeyemi as the sole architect of the controversial agency.
According to the lawyers, their client did not operate in isolation, insisting that several government institutions processed official documents relating to the council and engaged with it in various capacities.
They further alleged that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) acknowledged correspondence linked to the council and facilitated the allocation of office space for the organisation within the Federal Secretariat.
Adeyemi’s legal team maintained that these interactions demonstrated that the agency’s activities involved more than one individual and called for a comprehensive investigation into all government institutions that allegedly dealt with the council.
The controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council has attracted nationwide attention following allegations that it operated without lawful establishment, prompting investigations by both law enforcement agencies and the National Assembly.
