Atiku, Makinde, HURIWA Seek Probe of Bribe-for-Appointment Allegation

• Demand Tinubu’s response, urge EFCC, ICPC to investigate
  •Rights group warns against selective anti-corruption enforcement

Chuks Okocha and Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) and the Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation have demanded explanations and investigations into allegations that some ministers in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration paid billions of naira to secure their appointments.
Also, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) yesterday challenged President Bola Tinubu and anti-corruption agencies to establish the facts of the matter which has trended in the media in recent days.
The demands followed reported remarks by Alwan Hassan, a spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress (APC) PCC that some ministers allegedly paid to secure their positions and were subsequently seeking to recover their investments.
But the ADC campaign urged Tinubu to address the allegation, while the Makinde-Daura campaign called for an independent investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
For its part, HURIWA, in a separate statement, demanded a far-reaching investigation to establish who allegedly sold the positions, who collected the money and whether public resources were being used to recoup the supposed investments.
The ADC-PCC said the allegation made during a live television programme, raised fundamental questions about the integrity of ministerial appointments and the circumstances surrounding the selection of members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
In a statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the campaign council said Nigerians deserved an unequivocal response from the president. “An allegation of this magnitude cannot simply be ignored or dismissed without a transparent explanation,” it said.
The council argued that, if established, the allegation would suggest that ministerial appointments had been treated as commercial transactions rather than positions of public trust.
“It would also raise concerns about whether decisions affecting millions of Nigerians are being influenced by the personal financial interests of those entrusted with public responsibility,” it added.
The ADC-PCC noted that Nigerians were already grappling with rising living costs, insecurity, pressure on household incomes and persistent economic difficulties, insisting that the country could not afford uncertainty over the integrity and priorities of its highest public officials.
“Public office is a responsibility, not a commercial transaction. Ministerial appointments must be guided by competence, integrity and a commitment to national service—not by financial inducements or expectations of private returns,” the council said.
It outlined four demands, including an immediate response from Tinubu on whether he was aware of the allegation and whether any investigation had commenced.
It also asked Hassan to substantiate his reported claims by identifying the ministers allegedly involved, stating the amounts purportedly paid and naming those who allegedly received the money.
The campaign council called on the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate any evidence of financial inducements connected with ministerial appointments, insisting that anyone found culpable should face the law.
It further urged the National Assembly to consider a transparent public inquiry into the allegation, including inviting Hassan to explain his remarks and provide any supporting evidence.
The ADC-PCC stressed that its demands were not a substitute for evidence or due process but necessary steps to establish the facts and protect public institutions.
“Nigerians deserve a government in which public appointments are made in the national interest and public resources are managed for the benefit of citizens, not to facilitate the recovery of private investments,” it said.
The council added that Tinubu must respond to the allegation, warning that silence or an evasive answer would deepen public concern and leave critical questions unanswered.
Similarly, the Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) called on anti-corruption agencies to begin an independent investigation, expressing concern that the Presidency had not publicly addressed the reported allegation.
In a statement by its Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Ihediuwa, the organisation said the absence of a response five days after the allegation was reportedly made on television had heightened public concern.
“Our demand for an EFCC probe is predicated on growing concerns of high-level complicity following the disquieting silence of the Tinubu Presidency, five days after the revelation was made on national TV,” it said.
The organisation argued that the president’s silence was raising questions about the integrity of the appointment process and the administration’s commitment to fighting corruption.
“Mr President’s silence validates public apprehension that either he is not in control or he sits in approval of a corrupt and fraudulent system where public offices are reduced to commodities sold to highest bidders with devastating consequences on governance, the welfare of Nigerians and image of our nation,” it said.
The campaign organisation also questioned whether the reported payments, if established, could have created incentives for appointees to use their positions to recover money allegedly spent to secure public office.
It alleged that the appointment process had come under the influence of powerful political interests, including senior members of the ruling party and presidential aides, but provided no evidence in its statement to substantiate those claims.
The organisation linked the controversy to Nigeria’s wider governance challenges, including insecurity, economic hardship and infrastructure deficits, arguing that allegations of financial inducements for public appointments demanded urgent clarification.
The group urged Nigerians not to lose confidence in the country as the 2027 presidential election approached, while advocating a Makinde-Daura government under the APM and promising greater transparency in public administration.
It called on voters to support its proposed political alternative, describing its agenda as one centred on transparency, service delivery and the welfare of citizens.
Meanwhile, HURIWA demanded that Tinubu personally ensure an independent, transparent and comprehensive investigation into the allegation, describing it as a serious test of public accountability.
In a statement by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, the rights group said the reported claim raised troubling questions about the possible commercialisation of political power and the integrity of public appointments.
“If ministers allegedly paid billions of naira to secure their positions, Nigerians deserve to know who collected the money, who facilitated the transactions, and what those appointees intended to recover from public funds,” HURIWA said.
The association insisted that the president could not continue to exercise executive authority without providing a credible response to an allegation of such magnitude.
It argued that the matter should not be dismissed as an ordinary political controversy or allowed to fade from public attention without an investigation.
“This is not an ordinary political controversy that can be dismissed with carefully worded statements, public relations manoeuvres or the familiar strategy of waiting for public outrage to subside,” it said.
“It is an allegation that strikes directly at the heart of public trust, the integrity of government and the credibility of the administration’s anti-corruption promises,” it stressed.
HURIWA challenged the president to order an investigation capable of establishing whether any money changed hands in connection with ministerial appointments and whether anyone involved had committed an offence.
The group said the authorities must distinguish between an unsubstantiated allegation and established wrongdoing, insisting that both the person who made the claim and anyone implicated should be subjected to appropriate scrutiny.
The association also criticised what it described as the absence of a clearly communicated investigative response from the EFCC, ICPC and Code of Conduct Bureau.
It urged the agencies to disclose whether they had received complaints, commenced preliminary inquiries or taken other investigative steps, while insisting that their statutory responsibilities should apply regardless of the political standing of those implicated.
HURIWA warned that failure to act on credible allegations involving influential public officials could undermine confidence in the country’s anti-corruption institutions.