The Senate on Wednesday rejected a motion seeking a fresh investigation into the controversial N1.3 billion budget allocation to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), saying it would await the outcome of an investigation already ordered by President Bola Tinubu.
The motion was sponsored by Senator Suleiman Kawu (APC, Kano South), who raised concerns during plenary over the inclusion of the PFIPC in the 2026 Appropriation Act despite claims by senior Presidency officials that the council is a non-existent and unauthorized entity.
Relying on the Senate Standing Orders, Kawu argued that the controversy had raised serious questions about the credibility of the National Assembly and the integrity of Nigeria’s budget process.
According to him, the PFIPC was allocated N1.302 billion under Budget Code 0111062001, comprising N802.98 million for personnel costs, N200 million for overheads, and N300 million for capital expenditure.
He called on the Senate to investigate how the agency was included in the national budget, identify the officials and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) responsible, and determine whether any funds had been released or spent under the budget line.
Kawu also urged the Senate Committees on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, and Appropriations to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the matter.
However, the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary, ruled against further debate on the motion.
Barau explained that President Tinubu had already directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the controversial budget allocation.
He advised lawmakers to allow the anti-corruption agency to conclude its investigation before the Senate takes any further legislative action.
Following his ruling, the Senate rejected the motion for a separate probe and resolved to await the outcome of the ICPC investigation into the controversial N1.3 billion PFIPC budget allocation.
