An internal dispute between the promoter of the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, George Nwabueze, and some directors in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) may have triggered the controversy that led the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to label the office a “fake agency,” Ben Television has learnt.

Multiple officials within the OSGF told Ben Television that the ICPC may have been misled into believing that the project office was an unauthorised government agency following a petition allegedly filed by some directors in the SGF’s office.

The officials claimed that the petition followed a disagreement between Nwabueze and some directors over issues surrounding the operation of the project office.

One senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss the matter, insisted that the office was not a government agency but a project office established within the OSGF.

“It is not a fake agency. It is a project office. The ICPC was misled into believing it is a fake agency by some directors,” the official said.

According to the source, the dispute between Nwabueze and some directors eventually led to a petition to the anti-corruption commission alleging that an individual was operating a fake government office.

“Instead of the ICPC doing due diligence, they saw it as an opportunity to declare that they had discovered another fake agency. That is far from it. It is a project office, not an agency. It can wind down anytime,” the official said.

Another OSGF official questioned why the project office had allegedly operated within the government secretariat for years if it was an unauthorised agency.

“How does a project office become an agency, and why has it been operating since 2010 in that office? ICPC didn’t discover anything; they were misinformed by some people at the SGF office who have scores to settle with the promoter of that office,” the official alleged.

Eight days after alleged arrest order, no arrest

The controversy deepened after the ICPC announced that President Bola Tinubu had ordered the arrest of Nwabueze in connection with its investigation.

However, Ben Television gathered that eight days after the alleged presidential directive, Nwabueze had not been arrested and was not in the custody of the commission.

A highly placed source within the ICPC confirmed that no arrest had been made.

“No arrest has been made. He is not in custody,” the source said, declining to provide further details.

The development has raised questions over the status of the investigation and the basis for the commission’s earlier announcement.

Nwabueze alleges administrative sabotage

Nwabueze has also rejected the description of his organisation as an unauthorised government agency, alleging that some serving and retired officials of the OSGF deliberately frustrated the project through administrative sabotage and suppression of official files.

In a statement issued through the Directorate of Legal Affairs and Strategic Communications and made available to Ben Television on Friday, Nwabueze described the initiative as an approved public-private special project operating under the OSGF.

He said he petitioned the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on May 15, 2026, over the alleged withholding of strategic project files.

Among the files, he said, was documentation relating to Nigeria’s advance delegation to the Asia-Africa Summit 2026 and sub-national energy programmes.

Nwabueze also disclosed that he instituted Suit No. CV/2634/26 before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, over alleged threats of administrative eviction and suppression of official files.

He said the suit was intended to prevent any attempt to remove the project from the OSGF without following due administrative procedures.

“The entire subject matter remains subjudice before a court of competent jurisdiction,” he said.

Nwabueze maintained that the project was anchored on Executive Orders 003 and 005 of 2017 and 2018, respectively.

He also cited correspondence from the Political and Economic Affairs Office of the OSGF, referenced PS-PEAO/2025/008/4, which he said affirmed the project’s institutional standing.

According to him, the correspondence approved a five-member technical committee to oversee the project’s development objectives, monitoring framework and public-private implementation structures.

ICPC yet to respond

The ICPC has so far not publicly addressed the specific allegations that its investigation may have been triggered by an internal dispute within the OSGF.

Ben Television’s efforts to obtain the commission’s response were unsuccessful.

Calls to its spokesman, John Odeh, were not answered, while a message sent to him had not received a response as of the time of filing this report.

The spokesman for the SGF, Christopher Ugwuegbulam, also declined to comment on the allegations without a formal request.

“If you want to get my reaction on the allegations, write to us,” he said.

What ICPC said

The ICPC had on August 21 announced that it uncovered what it described as another “fake federal agency” allegedly operating within the OSGF.

The commission’s Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, made the disclosure after briefing President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Aliyu said the President had ordered Nwabueze’s arrest and the immediate suspension of three permanent secretaries in the OSGF over the alleged fake agency.

The affected officials were identified as MS Danjuma, Nandungu Gagare and Richard Pheelangwa.

The ICPC said the discovery was made during its investigation into the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) promoted by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew.

Presidency: Investigation not concluded

The Presidency, however, said the ICPC investigation into the alleged operation of fictitious government agencies within the OSGF had not been concluded.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said the President was awaiting the commission’s final recommendations before conclusions were drawn on culpability.

Speaking to Ben Television on Friday, Ajayi said the ICPC had submitted a preliminary report but was still investigating.

“The ICPC has not finished their work. At the end of their investigation, they are supposed to make recommendations to the President and he is expecting them to,” Ajayi said.

He added that the President had directed the commission to recommend measures for strengthening the system and addressing weaknesses identified during the investigation.

“The ICPC has said they have identified weaknesses in the system, so let’s wait for them to do their job,” he said.

Reps reject parallel probe

The House of Representatives has also indicated that it is unlikely to launch a separate investigation into the activities of Nwabueze’s project office while the ICPC probe is ongoing.

Deputy spokesman of the House, Philip Agbese, said the legislature would not interfere in an investigation already being handled by the anti-corruption commission.

“The matter is not before the House. If the ICPC is already investigating it, I think Nigerians should allow the commission to do its work,” he said.

Agbese said the House’s existing investigation centred on the PFIPC matter and that the ad hoc committee set up by the leadership was nearing the conclusion of its assignment.

With conflicting accounts now emerging over the status of the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, the central question remains whether the office was an unauthorised government entity, as alleged by the ICPC, or an approved project operating within the OSGF, as maintained by Nwabueze and officials who spoke to Ben Television.

The outcome of the ICPC’s ongoing investigation is expected to determine the status of the project office, establish whether any officials breached government procedures and clarify the circumstances that led to the controversial “fake agency” designation.