The name of Orioye G. Benedict, an All Progressives Congress candidate for the Ondo State House of Assembly, has emerged on the organisational structure of the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, an entity the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission says was operating as a fake federal agency without presidential authorisation.
The development follows an investigation announced by the ICPC on Friday after the anti-corruption commission said it uncovered the purported agency operating from premises within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in Abuja.
According to the commission, President Bola Tinubu subsequently ordered the arrest of the organisation’s alleged promoter, George Buchi Nwabueze, and directed the immediate suspension of three permanent secretaries in the OSGF: M.S. Danjuma, Engr. Nandungu Gagare and Richard Pheelangwa.
Benedict’s name appears in material linked to the organisation as its purported Ondo State Coordinator. SaharaReporters reported that he was among 20 individuals listed as state coordinators across the country. The organisation’s structure also included a national coordinator, zonal officials and representatives said to be based in the United States and China.
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The listing does not, by itself, establish that Benedict knew the organisation allegedly lacked federal government authorisation, nor does it establish that he participated in any wrongdoing. No such conclusion has been made against him by the ICPC in the material publicly available at the time of this report.
That distinction is significant because the ICPC’s announcement focused on the purported agency and its alleged promoter, rather than announcing an arrest or charge against the Ondo politician.
What the ICPC uncovered
The ICPC said its investigation uncovered the organisation, styled the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, operating as though it were a federal government institution.
The commission described it as a fake federal agency and said the organisation was allegedly promoted by Nwabueze, who it said used several variations of his name.
The discovery became a matter of national concern because the purported office was operating from space within the OSGF complex. The ICPC said the office had been allocated the space without presidential authorisation and that its investigation indicated suspected collaboration involving senior public servants in the OSGF.
President Tinubu’s response, according to the ICPC, included the arrest order against Nwabueze and the suspension of the three permanent secretaries named by the commission. The anti-corruption agency said the investigation remained ongoing and that it was committed to due process.
The organisation had reportedly presented itself as a government-backed national initiative and maintained a nationwide administrative structure. Its website listed Nwabueze as executive director and national coordinator, alongside officials responsible for national administration, geopolitical zones and individual states.
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Benedict was listed for Ondo State alongside coordinators assigned to other states.
Benedict’s political position
Benedict is not an unknown figure in Ondo’s political and public affairs. The Ondo State Government announced his appointment as Senior Special Assistant to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Youth Empowerment in June 2024. The official state broadcast platform published the appointment as part of a wider list of special advisers and senior special assistants approved by the governor.
His political profile has since expanded. In May 2026, reports on the Ondo APC House of Assembly primaries identified Orioye Benedict Gbayisemore as the party’s successful candidate for Ilaje Constituency I, with 5,444 votes recorded in the primary result. The APC had previously cleared him among the aspirants eligible to contest the party’s Assembly primaries.
His emergence on the list of the purported federal agency therefore comes while he is preparing for an elective political contest in the state.
However, available reporting does not establish when Benedict was listed by the organisation, the circumstances under which his name was added or whether he accepted the position with knowledge of the alleged absence of presidential approval.
Those questions are potentially relevant to the ongoing investigation, but they remain unresolved on the evidence currently available.
No confirmed response from Benedict
As of the time of publication, no verified public statement from Benedict responding specifically to the ICPC investigation or explaining his listing as the organisation’s Ondo State coordinator was located in the sources reviewed for this report.
Similarly, there was no verified statement from the organisation’s management providing an explanation for Benedict’s inclusion on its state-coordinator list.
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SaharaReporters reported that the status and activities of those listed as state coordinators remained unclear and that the ICPC investigation was expected to establish the extent of the organisation’s activities and the roles played by individuals associated with its structure.
The absence of a response should not be interpreted as an admission of wrongdoing. Benedict has not been identified by the ICPC announcement as the promoter of the purported agency, and his appearance on its website is not, on its own, evidence that he committed an offence.
Investigation continues
The central issue for investigators is how an organisation allegedly operating without presidential authorisation was able to establish itself inside government premises and present a nationwide structure resembling that of an official federal institution.
The ICPC’s announcement indicates that investigators are examining the role of public officials connected to the allocation of office space and the activities of the organisation’s alleged promoter.
The organisation’s reported network included 20 state coordinators and representatives in the United States and China, adding to the appearance of a formally established national programme.
For Benedict, the immediate issue is the appearance of his name within that structure while he seeks election to the Ondo State House of Assembly. Whether his listing reflected an accepted appointment, an association with the project or simply inclusion on an organisational website remains unclear from the available evidence.
The ICPC investigation is expected to provide further information about the organisation, its operations and the individuals connected to it.
Until such findings are made public, Benedict’s inclusion should be reported strictly as a listing by the purported organisation, not as proof of complicity in the alleged operation.
Verification Note: The ICPC’s investigation and the presidential directives concerning the alleged fake agency were independently confirmed through the commission’s official statement. Benedict’s listing as Ondo State Coordinator and his APC candidacy were reported by multiple outlets, while his 2024 appointment as Senior Special Assistant to Governor Aiyedatiwa is confirmed by an Ondo State government platform. No verified public response from Benedict specifically addressing the agency allegation was found in the sources reviewed.
