Nyesom Wike,Federal Capital Territory Minister, has defended the inclusion of individuals undergoing Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigations in political campaign organisations, asserting that being under probe does not legally or practically disqualify anyone from canvassing for votes.
Wike made the remarks during a media parley broadcast on Channels Television following public criticism over the appointment of suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, to President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign council. Edu was suspended in January 2024 over allegations of financial impropriety and subsequently investigated by the EFCC. She was named Director of Women Mobilisation for the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign structure.
Addressing what he characterised as media double standards regarding campaign appointments, the former Rivers State governor argued that being investigated without a formal court conviction should not stall an individual’s political engagement. He pointed out that Nigerian political history includes precedents where individuals facing active criminal charges or EFCC probes contested and won public office, including governorships.
‘You were asking the moral justification of putting someone who has an EFCC case in a campaign council,’ Wike said. ‘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 pushed the argument further, stating that even individuals serving prison sentences or those previously linked to high-profile state allegations retain the informal capacity to urge supporters to vote for specific candidates. He challenged the notion that political parties must exclude members from campaign roles merely because an investigative body is looking into their conduct.
The debate surrounding Edu’s political return gained traction after APC Presidential Campaign Council spokeswoman Kemi Asekun-Shittu defended the decision during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief. Asekun-Shittu emphasised that Edu has not been declared guilty of any crime and noted that it would be unfair to stall her political career after nearly two years of investigation.
He added that campaign appointments remain an internal party matter subject to review. Still, he maintained that every citizen retains the right to participate in political activities until proven guilty by a court of law.