The Senate on Wednesday declined to investigate the controversial N1.3 billion allocation to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), opting instead to allow the Executive to conclude its ongoing probe into the matter.
The decision followed a motion sponsored by Senator Suleiman Kawu, who urged the upper chamber to examine the circumstances surrounding the inclusion of the council in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
Raising the matter under Order 9 and Rule 9(c) of the Senate Standing Orders (2026), Kawu warned that the controversy had the potential to undermine the integrity of the Senate and public confidence in the National Assembly's appropriation process.
He told lawmakers that persistent allegations and counter-allegations over the PFIPC had generated widespread concern about the credibility of the federal budget.
"The Senate notes with concern that, in recent weeks, the public space has been inundated with allegations, controversies, accusations and counter-accusations concerning an entity known as the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC)," the senator said.
Kawu urged the Senate to denounce what he described as administrative failures, internal collaboration or fraudulent actions that allegedly enabled a purportedly unauthorised agency, listed under Budget Code 0111062001, to secure an allocation in the 2026 budget.
He also sought the mandate of the Senate for its Committees on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, and Appropriations to investigate how N1,302,978,784 was proposed, scrutinised and approved during the budget process.
The proposed investigation was also expected to identify the ministries, departments, agencies and public officials involved in facilitating the inclusion of the council in the budget, as well as determine whether any funds had been released or expended under the allocation.
In addition, Kawu requested an inquiry into whether any bank accounts had been opened or operated in connection with the budget line.
However, presiding over the plenary, Deputy President of the Senate Barau Jibrin ruled that the chamber should not embark on a parallel investigation since the matter was already being handled by the Executive.
Jibrin reminded lawmakers that President Bola Tinubu had directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the controversial allocation.
He urged the Senate to await the outcome of that investigation before taking any further legislative action.
The PFIPC has remained in the spotlight after the Presidency disowned the council, insisting that it was never established by the Federal Government despite receiving a N1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
The controversy prompted President Tinubu to order a full investigation into how the agency found its way into the national budget, with instructions that anyone found culpable should face prosecution.
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