The self-acclaimed 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 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) processed, recognised and interacted with the council.

Adeyemi, who is currently in police custody, made the claims in a statement issued on Sunday through his legal defence team led by Festus Akhigbe.

The defence team also urged the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the council to allow Adeyemi appear before it, arguing that denying him the opportunity to testify would violate his constitutional right to a fair hearing.

“We formally request that the panel issue the necessary administrative clearance to allow our client, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, to appear in person and testify.

“Any investigative outcome or final legislative report produced without affording our client a direct hearing would be fundamentally flawed, incomplete, and a breach of the constitutional right to a fair hearing,” the statement said.

The lawyers rejected claims that their client acted alone in creating the agency, alleging that multiple government institutions acknowledged or dealt officially with the council.

According to the statement, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation acknowledged documents relating to the council and facilitated office allocation within the Federal Secretariat.

The defence also alleged that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Central Bank of Nigeria processed official documentation to issue budget codes, grant self-accounting status, post civil servants to the council and open operational accounts.

It further claimed that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service approved the council’s organisational structure and granted recruitment waivers that enabled the employment of 314 personnel.

The legal team also alleged that security agency chiefs attended council programmes, while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) allocated property to the council, requested processing fees and presented a plaque of recognition to its leadership.

“If the SGF, the Accountant-General, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Head of Service, the Budget Office, the EFCC, the National Assembly, and the heads of Nigeria’s primary security architecture all verified, processed, funded, and officially interacted with this agency over an extended period, how can a single citizen… be held uniquely responsible?” the statement queried.

The defence argued that Adeyemi was being made a scapegoat for what it described as institutional failures and internal approvals within government.

It called for a broader investigation involving civil society organisations, legal experts and independent observers to examine the paper trail across all ministries, departments and agencies allegedly linked to the council.

The House of Representatives ad hoc committee is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the establishment and operations of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.