Police probe found Adeyemi’s Presidential Council fictitious — Presidency

…..Labels him a serial con artist

The Presidency on Wednesday said police investigations established that the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, also known as the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, was a fictitious organisation allegedly created by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who is facing trial on charges of forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence.

In a statement, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President never appointed Adeyemi and had repeatedly alerted security agencies that he was falsely presenting himself as the director-general of the non-existent council.

The Presidency issued the clarification weeks after the dispute became public in June 2026 when Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila publicly disowned Adeyemi and the purported council. Adeyemi, however, rejected the disclaimer, insisting his appointment was valid and that the council was lawfully recognised.

Giving details of the investigation, Onanuga said the Office of the Chief of Staff petitioned security agencies after receiving reports that forged appointment letters bearing the office’s name were being used to legitimise the activities of the purported council.

“The attention of this office has been drawn to the activities of certain individuals and groups engaged in the forgery of official appointment letters purportedly issued from my office,” the Chief of Staff said in the petition.

He added that the alleged activities “not only constitute a serious criminal act but also undermine the integrity of the Presidency and the credibility of official government communication.”

The Chief of Staff urged security agencies to “initiate a thorough investigation to identify and apprehend those involved and also to uncover the network facilitating the forgery.”

According to the Presidency, the petition was accompanied by copies of the alleged forged appointment letter, correspondence requesting a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and photographs obtained from the group’s website.

The statement further said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had separately raised concerns after Adeyemi reportedly convened a meeting with ambassadors at the Wells Carlton Hotel in Abuja on October 10, 2025, without the ministry’s involvement, prompting requests for clarification from relevant government offices.