Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2027 general elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, over allegations of a N400 million bribery scandal, insisting that indifference is not an option in the face of serious accusations. He added that “good governance is based on transparency and accountability and you can’t achieve that by protecting your family and friends”.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the Atiku Media Office, Atiku said the President must demonstrate his commitment to transparency and accountability by ensuring that all public officials, including his close aides, are held to the same standards.
The statement was in response to allegations made by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, Director General of the discredited Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), who accused Gbajabiamila of involvement in a N400 million bribery scandal.
According to the statement, Atiku argued that the Chief of Staff’s reported claim that the PFIPC does not exist had only deepened public concerns about the controversy.
He questioned how a government agency described as non-existent could have been allocated N27.4 billion in the 2026 national budget.
“How can you allocate N27.4 billion in the budget to a government agency that doesn’t exist without leaving more questions than answers,” Atiku was quoted as saying.
The former Vice President said the explanation had created additional credibility issues for the government, adding that allocating such a huge sum to an agency allegedly not in existence raises serious questions about the integrity of the 2026 budget.
According to him, “allocating N27.4 billion to an agency that doesn’t exist puts question marks on the credibility of the entire 2026 national budget.”
Describing the matter as an alleged case of “colossal budgetary fraud,” Atiku maintained that it could not be dismissed with what he called weak and unconvincing explanations.
He therefore called for the immediate suspension of the Chief of Staff and the establishment of an independent investigation to determine the facts surrounding the allegations.
“Good governance is based on transparency and accountability and you can’t achieve that by protecting your family and friends. President Tinubu must lead by example by holding his Chief of Staff to the same standards of accountability as other public officials. N27 billion is not a joke. The rule of law must prevail in this issue. Let President Tinubu prove to Nigerians that he is sincerely committed to accountability in his administration,” the statement quoted Atiku as saying.
The statement was signed by the Atiku Media Office. It is important to note that the allegations remain claims by the parties involved, and no independent findings have established wrongdoing by Gbajabiamila.
 in the 2027 general elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, over allegations of a N400 million bribery scandal, insisting that indifference is not an option in the face of serious accusations. He added that "good governance is based on transparency and accountability and you can't achieve that by protecting your family and friends".){kind=link}