Atiku’s aide, others react as presidency defends Gbajabiamila

By Ayobami Okerinde

Fresh reactions have continued to trail the presidency’s defence of the chief of staff to the president, Femi Gbajabiamila, over allegations linking him to an alleged appointment-for-cash scandal, with opposition figures, lawyers and other Nigerians calling for an independent investigation and, in some cases, his resignation.

The calls came hours after the presidency dismissed allegations by one Adeniyi Matthew, who claimed Gbajabiamila demanded billions of naira from the take-off grant of a purported federal agency and collected N400 million through proxies to facilitate his appointment.

Vanguard had reported that in a statement on Wednesday, the special adviser to the president on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described Matthew as an impostor and “serial fraudster”, insisting he was neither appointed by the presidency nor recognised as the director-general of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council/Presidential Economic Advisory Council

Onanuga said security agencies had been investigating Matthew since October 2025 following petitions by the Office of the Chief of Staff over alleged forgery of appointment letters and impersonation of government officials.

According to the presidency, investigations by the police established that the agency did not exist and that Matthew allegedly forged official documents, fraudulently presented himself as a presidential appointee, operated dozens of bank accounts, including some allegedly opened in the names of fictitious government agencies, and even secured a Central Bank account through false representations.

The statement partly reads, “We are aware of the public interest in the matter of a man called Adeyemi Adeniyi Matthew, who has been parading himself as the director-general of a fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council cum Presidential Economic Advisory Council.

“The office of the Chief of Staff to the President first blew the whistle on the existence of the illegal agency, following complaints from officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council that another government agency appeared to be functioning at cross-purposes with it.”

It further urged Nigerians to disregard Matthew’s allegations against the chief of staff, stressing that the matter was already before the court.

However, the presidency’s explanation has continued to attract criticism.

Among the first to react was Demola Olarenwaju, senior political assistant to former vice president Atiku Abubakar and the 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who argued that the official rebuttal failed to clear Gbajabiamila of responsibility.

Writing on X, Olarenwaju said the presidency’s statement suggested either negligence or complicity on the part of the chief of staff.

“By the watery presidential rebuttal, Gbajabiamila is either guilty of connivance or guilty of negligence—no two ways about it. If that fellow scammed himself into Nigeria’s budget, then Gbajabiamila must be sacked for negligence and lack of due diligence. If the fellow connived with him in the scam as we suspect by evidence, Gbaja should be prosecuted.”

An X user, @dolapomabinuori, wrote, “If you believe a single man created a fake agency of the Federal Government that got money appropriated to it in the 2026 budget, created a CBN account and has an office in the Federal Secretariat without someone in the government allowing it to happen, I have 10 plots to sell to you in Banana Island. The question is not if there was someone in the villa on the scam?” The question is, is it really Fẹ́mi Gbajabiamiala or someone else? And even if it isn’t Gbajabiamiala, he should resign because his office is complicit and is the weak link. Why should I trust a government that can be scammed by some random ass nixxa?

Lawyer Festus Ogun also weighed in, describing the controversy as a reflection of broader governance concerns under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. “The Gbajabiamila scandal tells you everything you need to know about the Bola Tinubu presidency,” he wrote.

Another lawyer, Muhammed Adam, who posts on X as @egi_nupe, questioned the consistency of the presidency’s narrative. “As many times as I have read this story and its narrative, it keeps making no sense. Those involved in this scandal are not telling us the truth,” he said.

Calls for a thorough investigation also dominated public reactions.

An X user, @Ismailmlf07, wrote, “Something is definitely fishy, and the accusation against Femi Gbajabiamila has to be taken seriously. There will be no smoke without fire. A thorough and transparent investigation will solve the anomaly.”

Similarly, @FightoryouDie said, “Femi Gbajabiamila is not too big for this country or government. If he is found wanting, he should be persecuted and handed over to the correct authorities. Not all this worthless damage control. How can the Senate and House write to a nonexistent agency? How?”

Another user, @FavoredSinner, said, “The reason why Femi Gbajabiamila won’t face any consequences for this is probably because everyone at the top knows this is how it is and it only got exposed by mistake. In a proper nation this is a national disaster on a massive scale. What do you mean a random person faked his way to a national budget? What do you even take the citizens for?”

Also, @Mr_Emmcap__ wrote, “By now, Femi Gbajabiamila and Tinubu should be in EFCC custody for a proper investigation. The way the presidency cleared Femi Gbajabiamila without conducting a thorough investigation is an insult to Nigerians. However, God will expose their alleged wrongdoing in a way they can’t escape accountability.”

@lollypeezle wrote, “There is nothing wrong; these guys have not done. There’s no crime these guys have not committed openly. See how our collective national inheritance is being stolen in broad daylight and we are doing nothing. Gbajabiamila should resign along with the president. This is treason.”

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