APC Defends Betta Edu’s Inclusion In 2027 Campaign Council

The spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Kemi Asekun-Shittu, has defended the inclusion of former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, on the party’s campaign council list, saying she has not been found guilty of any offence.

Asekun-Shittu made the statement on Monday, during an appearance on Channels Television’s Morning Brief while responding to questions over the political and ethical implications of the names included in the APC Presidential Campaign Council list.

Edu, who was suspended from office by President Bola Tinubu in January 2024 following allegations surrounding a N585 million payment involving her ministry, was among the names that generated questions about the composition of the campaign council.

Asked about the “moral optics” and potential political consequences of including Edu on the list while an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigation remained unresolved, Asekun-Shittu said the former minister should not be prevented from participating in politics simply because the investigation had not been concluded.

She said: “Well, I don’t want to take the case on. I don’t want to take the names on a case-by-case basis. However, I’d like to say that for Betta Edu, for example, she has not been found guilty.

“And it will be unfair to ask that she lives her life or refuses to live her life until the EFCC declares her guilty or not guilty. We believe that it is very likely that she may not be found guilty.”

The APC campaign council spokesperson argued that political participation is open to Nigerians who chose to engage in partisan activities.

“But besides that, we also know that with politics, every Nigerian is allowed to be a politician if they choose to be. And we do not believe that we should then hold her life still or keep her stagnant until the case is decided,” she said.

According to her, “It’s been almost two years of that case. She does deserve an opportunity to present herself again for the party.”

Edu, a former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, was suspended by President Tinubu on January 8, 2024, after public outrage over a leaked memo concerning a proposed N585 million payment to a private bank account.

The memo, dated December 20, 2023, showed Edu directing the Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, to transfer the money to an account belonging to Bridget Oniyelu, identified as a project accountant for grants to vulnerable groups.

Madein subsequently said her office did not execute the payment, raising further questions about the proposed transaction.

Following the controversy, Tinubu suspended Edu and directed the EFCC to conduct a “thorough investigation” into financial transactions involving the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and related agencies.

The President also directed Edu to hand over to the ministry’s Permanent Secretary and cooperate fully with investigators.

Edu subsequently appeared before the EFCC and was questioned over the allegations before being released on bail.

The investigation later expanded beyond the N585 million transaction. In April 2024, the EFCC said it had recovered about N30 billion in connection with its wider investigation into the ministry and was examining 50 bank accounts. The anti-graft commission said the recovered funds were in government coffers.

Edu subsequently denied having any link to the N30 billion reportedly recovered by the anti-graft agency.

During the Channels interview, the anchor challenged Asekun-Shittu’s argument, stressing that the issue was not about Edu’s right to “live her life” but about her return to an active political role after being suspended from the Federal Executive Council over allegations involving public funds.

The interviewer noted that Edu had been removed from President Tinubu’s cabinet and investigated by the EFCC over the allegations.

Asekun-Shittu maintained that the investigation had not produced a finding of guilt.

“I do understand. There is no report. I also need you to see it from this angle. The fact that it’s an internal party affair. If we decide that she’s going to be useful and be able to work on behalf of the party, she does have a right. It’s not a public thing,” she said.

When the interviewer pointed out that Edu’s case involved allegations concerning public funds and therefore had a public-interest dimension, Asekun-Shittu again defended her inclusion.

“That matter is still with the EFCC. It is being handled. She has not been proclaimed guilty and deserves an opportunity to continue to live her life. That is what we are saying,” she said. (SaharaReporters)