Over 350 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have united to shield Presidential Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila from what they call an intentional, evidence-free attack.
At a packed briefing in Abuja, the coalition debunked fraud allegations made by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew.
The groups exposed Matthew for fronting a completely fictitious “Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council” to mislead the public.
Addressing journalists on behalf of the coalition, key representatives—including Amb. Philip Okwaggbe of COCSO, Amadi Chindi of the Initiative for Community Development, and Chiamaka Chukwuebuka of the Women Centre for Self-Empowerment—declared that a meticulous review of the accusations yielded absolutely no substance.
“We have carefully examined the claims and allegations of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew and have seen that he is not saying the truth,” the coalition stated in a joint communiqué.
“He wants to intentionally tarnish the image of the Chief of Staff, Rt. Hon. Femi Hakeem Gbajabiamila, without substantive evidence to prove his case beyond reasonable doubt.”
The CSOs further accused Matthew of orchestrating a calculated media stunt designed to manipulate public emotions and evade scrutiny for his own questionable actions. They maintained that crying foul would not shield him from accountability.
“We want to state categorically that these claims and allegations by Matthew are baseless. Despite calling sections of the media to brief them and claiming he was being intimidated, such emotions cannot help him. We know he is trying to whip up sentiments to drag the Chief of Staff into the mud with him, and we will not allow that to happen,” the statement added.
Defending the integrity of the Chief of Staff, the coalition argued that Gbajabiamila’s extensive public service track record speaks volumes. They pointed to his highly regarded tenure as Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives, where he championed landmark reforms including the restoration of Nigeria’s January–December budget cycle, the Students’ Loan Bill, the Physically Challenged (Empowerment) Bill, and critical legislative interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Given his deep legal background and executive education from elite institutions like Stanford, Cambridge, and Oxford, the coalition maintained that the Chief of Staff would never compromise state rules or endorse illegalities.
“We unequivocally state that the Chief of Staff cannot be unpatriotic to give a go-ahead to establish a non-existent establishment, which is illegal and unconstitutional,” the CSOs insisted. “Therefore, the lies against him are not to be taken seriously.”
Moving beyond a mere defense, the civil society groups took a hardline stance by calling on law enforcement agencies to step in immediately, warning that the unfolding drama has serious implications for Nigeria’s global standing.
“We therefore call for the arrest, investigation, and prosecution of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew because this matter is not to be handled with kid gloves, as the international community is watching Nigeria,” the coalition concluded.
