The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has alleged that Bola Ahmed Tinubu is aware that members of his inner circle collect money in exchange for political appointments, amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) bribery scandal.

Speaking during an interview with Symfoni TV published on Saturday, Adebayo claimed that the administration was fully aware of alleged financial dealings involving key presidential officials.

“It’s obvious that Tinubu knows very well and doesn’t mind that people pay money to his principal staff to get appointments and to get access,” Adebayo said.

The SDP presidential candidate described the current administration as a “clearing-and-forwarding government,” accusing it of fostering corruption while alleging that the National Assembly has failed in its constitutional responsibility of holding the executive accountable.

He also criticised the Senate, claiming it had lost its independence and no longer exercised effective oversight over the executive arm of government.

Adebayo’s remarks come amid public debate over allegations made by Adeniyi Adeyemi, who identified himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, accusing Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, of demanding and receiving hundreds of millions of naira through intermediaries in exchange for securing an appointment.

Adeyemi alleged that Gbajabiamila collected ₦400 million through a proxy and later demanded an additional ₦200 million before his appointment could be finalised. The Presidency has dismissed the allegations, describing Adeyemi as the head of a fictitious agency.

Despite the Presidency’s position, documents circulating in the public domain have reportedly indicated that the agency received budgetary allocations and operated from office space within the Federal Secretariat, further fueling public scrutiny of the controversy.

Following widespread public reactions to the allegations, Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate Gbajabiamila and other individuals allegedly linked to the PFIPC bribery and forgery scandal.

As of the time of filing this report, Tinubu’s spokespersons, Bayo Onanuga and Daniel Bwala, had not publicly responded to Adebayo’s latest allegations regarding the alleged sale of appointments by senior presidential officials.