Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike has defended the inclusion of an individual under Economic and Financial Crimes Commission investigation on President Bola Tinubu’s presidential campaign team.
Wike argued that being probed does not prevent a person from canvassing votes
He stated this during a media parley he hosted on Wednesday, which was aired on Channels Television.
The former Rivers State governor questioned what he described as a double standard in scrutinising people involved in political campaigns, noting that a person facing an EFCC investigation but not charged to court could still participate in political activities.
“You (media) were asking the moral justification of putting someone who has an EFCC case to be in a campaign council. And I was just watching the lady. The lady doesn’t even know what to say,” Wike said.
He added, “Now, somebody cannot be in a campaign to canvass for votes for a particular person, but somebody who has an EFCC case can contest an election and win an election?”
Wike said there had been instances where people facing criminal allegations had contested elections and won.
“This person had an EFCC case in court, charged to court. He contested an election and became a Governor,” he said without mentioning any name.
Wike further argued that even a person serving a prison sentence could canvass votes for a candidate.
“Listen. Even a prisoner… maybe they have somebody in prison. I go and visit the person. The person can tell me, ‘My brother, I want you to support so-and-so candidate.’ A prisoner has canvassed for vote.”
He also referred to an unnamed person who he said had been alleged to be involved in a coup in Nigeria, saying the person had also canvassed votes for a candidate.
“I was watching, when Channels, when Sunrise, who came up to say, ‘Ah, how can somebody who’s being looked for as a coup plotter is now canvassing for votes for so-and-so government?’ Somebody EFCC is looking for is now canvassing for votes for so-and-so person.
“But… a party, or a candidate cannot, simply because EFCC is investigating the person, cannot be a member of the campaign council to campaign for votes.”
Wike’s comments followed controversy over the inclusion of Edu in the campaign structure for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
Edu was listed as Director of Women Mobilisation in the APC Presidential Campaign Council. She was suspended by Tinubu in January 2024 following allegations of financial impropriety and was subsequently investigated by the EFCC.
An APC campaign council spokesperson, Kemi Asekun-Shittu, had defended Edu’s inclusion during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Monday, saying the former minister had not been found guilty of any offence.
“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 leaves her life or refuses to live her life until the EFCC declares her. We believe that there is very likely the issue that she may not be found guilty.
“But besides that, we also know that with politics, every Nigerian is allowed to be a politician if they choose to. And we do not believe that we should then hold her life still or keep her stagnant until the case is decided. It’s been almost two years of that case.
“She does deserve an opportunity to present herself again for the party,” she said.
Asekun-Shittu also said the campaign committee was an internal party affair and that the APC could decide who would work for it, while noting that the list was not final and could still be reviewed.
Edu has not been publicly declared guilty of any offence in relation to the EFCC investigation.
