Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-appointed Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, has insisted that his lawyers and journalists must be present before he appears for questioning by the House of Representatives committee investigating the council.

The House Ad Hoc Committee, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi, is probing how the PFIPC allegedly obtained office space within the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja and secured more than N1.32bn in the 2026 Appropriation Act, despite allegations that the organisation had no legal foundation.

According to a source familiar with the committee’s proceedings, the lawmakers had yet to decide where Adeyemi would be questioned as of Sunday.

The source told The PUNCH that “no decision yet” had been made on the venue for Adeyemi’s appearance.

Adeyemi is currently in police custody over the controversy surrounding the PFIPC and is expected to appear before the committee this week.

The committee’s investigation has already heard from senior government officials, including the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack; the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu; the Director of Banking Services at the Central Bank of Nigeria, Hamisu Abdullahi; and representatives of the Inspector-General of Police.

Their testimonies have raised questions about how Adeyemi allegedly presented himself as the head of the PFIPC and gained access and recognition within government circles.

Adeyemi had previously indicated, through his lawyer, Ademola Oyedokun, that he was willing to appear before the committee and respond to the allegations.

However, he objected to being questioned behind closed doors while in police custody.

Oyedokun had argued that since other individuals had publicly made allegations against his client, Adeyemi should also be allowed to respond publicly.

The committee initially attempted to question Adeyemi on Thursday, but he declined to answer questions. The session was subsequently rescheduled for Monday.

A family source said Adeyemi told the committee that journalists and his lawyers must be present before he would submit to questioning.

The source said, “Initially, they agreed to come with the media, but later they said they would not be coming with any media.”

Adeyemi’s family had earlier raised concerns that lawmakers wanted to question him without his legal representatives present.

His brother, Peter, said Adeyemi was willing to answer questions but wanted the process conducted under conditions similar to those afforded to people who had spoken publicly against him.

The police, however, said visitors could be granted access to Adeyemi if they met the necessary requirements.

Police spokesperson Ani Ineidu said anyone in custody had a right to visitors, provided the required documents or authorisation were presented.

Meanwhile, the Coalition of United Political Parties has rejected the findings of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, which reportedly cleared the Presidency of wrongdoing while indicting Adeyemi.

CUPP spokesperson Agu Bryan described the ICPC investigation as inadequate and called for a broader inquiry into how the alleged non-existent council was able to operate within government structures.

Bryan questioned how the PFIPC allegedly secured government recognition, recruited hundreds of workers and appeared in the national budget if it had no legal foundation.

He also called for scrutiny of the roles of government institutions, including the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

The coalition further questioned how the PFIPC’s budgetary allocation was processed and approved.

The controversy intensified after investigators reportedly established that a signature attributed to the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, was forged.

CUPP said the discovery should prompt investigators to examine other official documents and correspondence allegedly used by Adeyemi.

The House committee is investigating allegations including impersonation, forgery, financial impropriety and the alleged unlawful use of government facilities and official insignia.

Adeyemi’s appearance could provide the committee with his account of how the PFIPC was established and operated, how it gained access to government institutions and how funds were allegedly allocated to it.