Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The African Democratic Congress has launched a blistering attack on President Bola Tinubu's newly unveiled 2027 presidential campaign council, describing the 343-member political machinery as a "rehabilitation centre" for individuals facing unresolved corruption allegations and questions of public accountability. In a statement issued on Saturday, August 22, 2026, by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party singled out the inclusion of former Humanitarian Affairs Minister Betta Edu and former Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund Chairman Ngozi Olejeme as evidence of what it called a disturbing pattern under the Tinubu administration, where corruption investigations quietly disappear and the accused suddenly reappear in prominent political roles. The ADC's condemnation came just hours after President Tinubu, who will serve as Chairman of the council, formally unveiled the All Progressives Congress campaign team, appointing former Zamfara State Governor Senator Abdulaziz Yari as Director-General and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma as Secretary.
The ADC's statement, which has ignited a fierce political debate, questioned what happened to the corruption cases involving some of those being brought back into the political fold. Abdullahi demanded that the government disclose whether outstanding cases against Edu and Olejeme had been resolved or whether the appointments represented Tinubu's way of pardoning corrupt officials affiliated with his party. "What should ordinarily be a political task team ends up looking like a rehabilitation system for individuals carrying unresolved questions of corruption and public accountability," Abdullahi declared. He specifically referenced the controversy surrounding Edu's suspension in January 2024 following an alleged request for the transfer of N585 million into a private account, as well as the EFCC prosecution of Olejeme over allegations of financial malpractices. "We have taken note of the composition of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's 2027 campaign council," Abdullahi said. "If they have been cleared, the government should show how and when and by whom they were cleared."
The ADC's criticism struck at the heart of the Tinubu administration's anti-corruption credentials, alleging that corruption investigations under the President increasingly appear to have an expiry date. "Under this government, corruption allegations increasingly appear to have an expiry date," the party said. "Once a person becomes politically useful enough, yesterday's questions apparently no longer require today's answers." The opposition party argued that most of the individuals in the President's campaign lacked credibility and that the campaign council would not be able to campaign away the cost-of-living crisis or the endemic poverty that bad policies had created. The ADC noted that it had become a familiar pattern under this administration for investigations into financial crimes to quietly disappear, only for the accused to suddenly reappear in a different official role.
Betta Edu, who has been appointed as Director of Women Mobilisation in the campaign council, was suspended by President Tinubu in January 2024 following allegations that she had attempted to transfer N585 million into a private account. The former minister denied any wrongdoing at the time, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission subsequently investigated the matter. However, no public finding has been issued, and her appointment to the campaign council has raised fresh questions about the status of the investigation. Ngozi Olejeme, who has been named Zonal Director for Election Planning, Coordination and Mobilisation for the South-South, has faced prosecution by the EFCC over allegations of financial misconduct during her tenure as NSITF Chairman. The ADC demanded that if the cases against the individuals had been resolved, the government should disclose how, when, and by whom they were cleared.
The opposition party also used the opportunity to frame the 2027 election as a referendum on President Tinubu's three-year record, accusing the administration of worsening poverty and the cost-of-living crisis while politically connected Nigerians enjoy what it described as "obscene opulence." "They cannot campaign away the cost of living crisis or the endemic poverty that their bad policies have created," the ADC said. The party renewed its call for a targeted, capped, budgeted and independently audited subsidy on fuel production to reduce pump prices and ease the pressure on households, challenging President Tinubu to account for what it described as waste and wrong-headed policies under his administration. "Our proposal is straightforward: every naira must be traceable and every barrel accounted for," the ADC said.
The unveiling of the campaign council, which includes Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, President's Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, and former presidential campaign operative James Faleke, was seen as a demonstration of the APC's determination to secure a second term for President Tinubu. However, the ADC's allegations have cast a shadow over the unveiling, raising uncomfortable questions about the composition of the President's campaign team and the government's commitment to accountability. The party's statement that "the President may assemble his old friends and political allies, including those carrying unresolved corruption questions, but all of their collective brooms cannot sweep away the grave pains they have brought on the Nigerian people" reflects a growing sentiment among opposition parties that the Tinubu administration is more interested in consolidating power than in addressing the pressing challenges facing the nation.
As the 2027 election season gathers momentum, the ADC's accusations have set the tone for what promises to be a fiercely contested political battle. The opposition party's decision to focus on the corruption allegations surrounding key members of the campaign council is a calculated strategy to undermine the credibility of the President's re-election bid and appeal to a populace weary of economic hardship and systemic failure. The ADC's demand for transparency in the resolution of corruption cases involving Edu and Olejeme places the Tinubu administration under pressure to demonstrate that its anti-corruption rhetoric is matched by concrete action. The coming months will reveal whether the President's campaign council can withstand the scrutiny of the opposition and the Nigerian people, or whether the ADC's accusations will resonate with voters who have grown increasingly disillusioned with the state of governance in the country.
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