Gbajabiamila sues PFIPC DG Adeyemi, seeks N15bn over alleged defamation

CHIEF of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, has filed a N15 billion defamation suit against the fake Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Mr Adeniyi Adeyemi, over allegations that the latter made false and damaging statements against him.

The suit, filed before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), followed comments allegedly made by Adeyemi accusing Gbajabiamila of collecting N400 million through a proxy and demanding an additional N200 million to secure his appointment.

Adeyemi alleged at a press conference on June 29 that Mr Gbajabiamila also demanded 48 percent of the PFIPC’s N27.4 billion take-off grant, a request he said he rejected.

But in his shuit, Gbajabiamila argues that the statements have exposed him to public ridicule, diminished his standing in the eyes of members of the public and colleagues, and damaged his reputation built over years of public service.

He is seeking N10 billion in general damages and N5 billion in aggravated damages for the alleged defamation. He is also asking the court to award N200 million as the cost of the action.

Beyond the monetary claims, Gbajabiamila is requesting an order compelling Adeyemi to publish a full retraction of the alleged defamatory statements and an unreserved apology in 5 national newspapers with nationwide circulation.

The lawsuit marks a significant escalation in the legal battle involving Adeyemi, whose activities as head of the PFIPC have come under increasing public and legal scrutiny.

The PFIPC, which describes itself as a presidential initiative established to promote foreign investment in Nigeria, has faced persistent questions over its legal status. The council is not known to have been created by an Act of the National Assembly, and government officials have previously distanced the Presidency from its activities.

The suit also comes shortly after Adeyemi was arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force in Osun State following the issuance of a bench warrant by a magistrate court. Police authorities confirmed that the arrest was carried out in compliance with the court’s directive.

Gbajabiamila’s legal action adds to the mounting challenges confronting the PFIPC director-general. If the court rules in his favour, Adeyemi could be ordered to pay substantial damages and publicly retract the statements complained of.

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Adeyemi said he borrowed N100 million to secure the appointment and is now being investigated after the lenders reported him to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the unpaid debt.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Adeyemi said the funds he used in connection with the appointment were obtained through loans, insisting the creditors have now asked the EFCC to compel him to repay them, Economy Post reported.