350 CSOs Rally Behind Gbajabiamila, Dismiss Allegations Against Him

A coalition of more than 350 civil society organisations (CSOs) has thrown its weight behind the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, dismissing allegations made against him by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew as baseless, malicious and unsupported by credible evidence.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday after what it described as an emergency meeting, the coalition said it convened the briefing to respond to allegations levelled against the President’s Chief of Staff and to state its position on the controversy.

The coalition alleged that Prince Matthew had presented himself as the Director-General of a “Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council cum Presidential Economic Advisory Council,” which it described as a non-existent body.

In a statement jointly signed by representatives of the participating organisations, including the Chairman of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (COCSO), Ambassador Philip Okwaggbe, and several other CSO leaders, the group said it had carefully reviewed the allegations and found them to be without merit.

“We have carefully examined the claims and allegations of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew and have seen that he is not saying the truth but wants to intentionally tarnish the image of the Chief of Staff, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, without substantive evidence to prove his case,” the coalition stated.

It alleged that the accusations were deliberately designed to whip up public sentiment against the Chief of Staff and damage his reputation.

According to the coalition, Gbajabiamila has established a distinguished record of public service through his years in the National Assembly, particularly during his tenure as Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives. It credited him with supporting major legislative reforms, including the restoration of the January–December budget cycle and the passage of key laws on economic reforms, student loans, disability inclusion and other social intervention programmes.

The coalition also highlighted his role in legislative interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic and noted that he had undertaken executive education programmes at Stanford University, the University of Cambridge and the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

It maintained that Gbajabiamila could not have authorised the establishment of any illegal or unconstitutional institution.

“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. Therefore, the lies against him are not to be taken seriously,” the statement added.

The coalition called on security agencies to investigate the allegations thoroughly and prosecute anyone found to have deliberately made false claims.

“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 stated.