Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, the man accused of impersonating a presidential appointee by allegedly presenting himself as Director-General of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and Presidential Economic Advisory Council, has claimed that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, was fully aware of his appointment.
Speaking during a telephone interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Adeyemi dismissed allegations of impersonation and maintained that the controversy surrounding his appointment would be resolved by the courts.
Asked whether Gbajabiamila had knowledge of his appointment, Adeyemi responded: “Yes.”He also affirmed that the confirmation of his appointment came through the office of the Chief of Staff, saying, “Yes, let the court vindicate all those things.
”Adeyemi, who is facing allegations of impersonation and related offences, insisted that he had done nothing wrong and expressed confidence that the judicial process would clear his name.
“Definitely, if I am wrong, let the court of law do that; if I am right, let the court of law do the right thing. Since the matter is in court, let a court of competent jurisdiction vindicate me because I am ready to clear my name,” he said.
The accused further disclosed that he possesses a letter of appointment but declined to elaborate on its contents because the matter is currently before the court.“I have a letter of appointment.
However, since the matter is in court, I won’t be able to say much about it. Let the court take its course,” he stated.Denying any criminal conduct, Adeyemi said, “No, I am not a criminal.
However, the court will do justice to that.”He also rejected suggestions that he had fabricated the existence of the agencies in question, arguing that no individual would openly engage government institutions across the country for years without official backing.
“For one second, let us assume the agency does not exist; would I have the audacity to be going all over the country, meeting heads of ministries, departments and agencies, if I knew the agency did not exist or if I cooked up everything as alleged? No Nigerian can dare do that,” he said.
According to him, his public engagements and interactions with government institutions over nearly three years demonstrated that his activities were carried out openly and not in secrecy.
“I could not have summoned the courage to move from one place to another for almost three years. Nigeria is not a banana republic,” he added.
The controversy erupted after questions were raised about the legitimacy of the councils Adeyemi claimed to represent, leading to allegations of impersonation and related offences.
The matter is now before a competent court, which is expected to determine the authenticity of his claims and the legality of his appointment.
