Following yesterday’s All Progressives Congress, APC’s primaries for Senatorial aspirants in which former Delta state governor Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and the former governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello won their respective primaries, and were cleared to contest, Nigerians of all hues have condemned the development.
Okowa and Bello are currently standing trial by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for corruption running into billions of Naira.
Recall that the anti-graft agency arrested him in November 2024 over allegations of diverting ₦1.3 trillion in public funds and misusing state resources to acquire properties and business investments. Details of the allegations include: The N1.3 Trillion Derivation Fund: The EFCC is probing his alleged failure to account for massive sums of 13% oil derivation funds allocated to Delta State between 2015 and 2023. He is accused of failing to account for ₦40 billion that he allegedly claimed was used to purchase an 8% equity stake in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas.
Investigators have also stumbled on the suspected diversion of state funds to acquire major real estate estates in Asaba and Abuja.
Following his arrest, Okowa left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). This led to public speculation that the probe might be dropped.
It seems the probe has gone into a political cooler, though the EFCC has maintained that the defection offers no shield or immunity. Despite subsequent outcry over the pace of the investigation, the agency publicly stated that the corruption probe remains active.
Bello, on the other hand, is facing two major corruption and money laundering trials by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC):₦80.2 Billion Case: A 19-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja regarding funds allegedly diverted from the Kogi State treasury and used to acquire luxury properties in Nigeria and Dubai.₦110.4 Billion Case: A 16-count charge in the FCT High Court bordering on criminal breach of trust and property fraud.
The EFCC accuses Bello of extensive financial misconduct, including diverting state funds through multiple bureau de change operators and linked companies. The agency also alleged he withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars directly from state coffers to pay his children’s school fees in advance.
Bello has consistently denied all allegations, maintaining that the charges brought against him are politically motivated.
He has repeatedly evaded arrest and stalled his arraignment in court, leading to highly publicised standoffs with the EFCC at his Abuja residence and the Kogi State Government Lodge.
Despite the ongoing multibillion-naira fraud trials, the All Progressives Congress (APC) cleared Bello to participate in and win the party’s senatorial primary for Kogi Central, setting the stage to challenge the incumbent senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Reacting to the development, Professor Abdullah Abubakar, a political scientist, told this medium that ” the victories of Okowa and Bello are a testament to the long-held belief by many Nigerians that this administration is a hub of corruption. Imagine politicians standing trial for high-profile corruption cases are being given a clean bill of health to run for a place at the National Assembly to represent the same people whose money they looted brazenly. Tinubu’s administration is a joke. This government will go down in history as the most tragically comic administration we have ever had.”
In his own reaction, Biodun Agunbiade, a civil servant, told this medium that “when I heard that Okowa had defeated the amiable senator Nwoko, I knew Nigeria is finished. It’s like a nightmare. Can you imagine Okowa who is under corruption trial, defeating Nwoko, who has done well for his people? APC as a part, at least with this development, is a comedy of error. Nigerians should reject them at the polls.”
The question that has continued to agitate many Nigerians is: why should the immediate past Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa and other political office seekers facing criminal charges be allowed to contest elections in Nigeria?
Why have the ‘people’ at the centre of these corruption cases been allowed to participate in APC Senatorial Primary or be involved in the political scenario of Delta North and Kogi Central?
, Desmond Atake, an activist, said, ” Nigeria under the current administration has lost its moral compass.
He noted that “Presently, Okowa, Bello and others who have corruption cases hanging on their necks should be treated as political lepers and ought to have been ostracised from politics. Yet APC is rewarding them!
According to Wilson Okonkwo, a data analyst,” the victory of Okowa is the best example of what we can call government giving official backing to corruption.”
Ahmed Walata, a political analyst, said: “Until corrupt politicians like Okowa, Bello and others are given public execution to serve as a deterrent to others who have intentions of using public funds in enriching themselves, Nigeria will continue to move from bad to worse.”
He continues, “In a country like China, if you were involved in corrupt Malpractices, you are executed. ln Japan, you commit suicide. In Europe and America, you are in jail.
“Why then in Africa, especially in Nigeria, are you allowed to continue to participate in politics and hold public office, walk around freely in the society, dictate the tone, and withhold your loot?
“The anti-graft agency of Nigeria should tell Nigerians why Okowa is allowed to have freedom to the extent of having the impunity to contest the recent Delta North Senatorial Primary, while Nasir El Rufai, the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, who is facing same charges, is still held by the anti-graft?
“Why has the anti-graft agency, having concluded the investigations on Okowa, refused to charge him to court?
