Senate's refusal to probe 'fake' agency's budget questions oversight role - Businessday NG

…As lawmakers defer to ICPC, experts warn Parliament risks ceding core constitutional responsibilities

The Senate’s decision to shelve its own investigation into the controversial N1.3 billion budgetary allocation to the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has raised fresh questions on its constitutional oversight function.

The red chamber on Wednesday declined to adopt a motion seeking a comprehensive probe into how the PFIPC, an organisation publicly disowned by the Presidency as “fake,” “fictitious” and unauthorised, found its way into the 2026 Appropriation Act with a budgetary allocation of N1,302,978,784.

Instead, the Senate resolved to await the outcome of an investigation already ordered by President Bola Tinubu and being conducted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The decision has reignited concerns over the integrity of Nigeria’s budget process, amid recurring allegations of budget insertions, padding and weak legislative scrutiny.