The Senate has resolved to hold off on taking any action regarding the controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) and its inclusion in the 2026 Appropriation Act until the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) concludes its investigation.
The decision followed a motion sponsored by Senator Suleiman Abdulrahman Kawu, who called for an urgent investigation into the budgetary allocation, operations and controversy surrounding the purported PFIPC to protect the integrity of both the Senate and the Federal Government.
Presenting the motion under Order 9, Rule 9(c) of the Senate Standing Orders 2026, Kawu described the issue as a matter of significant institutional concern, warning that it could undermine the credibility of the Senate, the National Assembly and Nigeria’s budgetary process.
He noted that although senior Presidency officials had publicly described the PFIPC as fake, fictitious and unauthorised, the organisation still appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act under Budget Code 0111062001, with a budgetary allocation of N1.302 billion.
According to the senator, the allocation consisted of N802.98 million for personnel costs, N200 million for overhead expenses and N300 million for capital expenditure, raising serious concerns about how the agency was captured in the national budget.
Kawu argued that a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the PFIPC’s inclusion in the budget was necessary to preserve public confidence in the appropriation process and the National Assembly’s oversight responsibilities.
He urged the Senate to condemn what he described as administrative lapses, internal collaboration or possible fraudulent activities that allowed a purportedly non-existent agency to secure a place in the federal budget.
The lawmaker also proposed that the Senate Committees on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, alongside the Committee on Appropriations, be mandated to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the matter.
Responding to the motion, Deputy President of the Senate Barau Jibrin advised against launching an immediate parliamentary investigation, noting that President Bola Tinubu had already directed the ICPC to conduct a full probe.
Barau acknowledged that the issue could have been introduced as a substantive motion through the Senate Committee on Rules and Business but maintained that the Presidency had already initiated the appropriate investigative process.
“The Presidency has taken up this matter by directing that the ICPC should investigate fully how this matter came to be. The marching order has been given and I think the ICPC has started.
“To me, I believe that what we need to do at this stage is to have the report of the ICPC, and then we can act on that report and deal with it as we feel appropriate,” he said.
The Senate subsequently adopted the recommendation to await the outcome of the ICPC investigation before deciding on any further legislative action concerning the PFIPC controversy.
On Tuesday, President Tinubu directed the ICPC to launch a comprehensive investigation into the activities of the PFIPC and all issues connected to the controversy surrounding the agency.
The President also instructed that the investigation be concluded and a detailed report submitted to him within 30 days.
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