The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to conclude its investigations involving former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, calling for prosecution where evidence supports criminal charges.
The association also cautioned political parties against fielding candidates facing unresolved corruption allegations without addressing public concerns over accountability and transparency.
The call was contained in a statement signed by HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, dated September 9, 2026.
HURIWA said an opinion poll it conducted across Nigeria, involving more than 6,000 respondents, indicated widespread opposition to political parties fielding candidates with unresolved corruption allegations.
According to the association, 99 per cent of respondents disapproved of the practice, with particular criticism directed at the All Progressives Congress (APC) over its reported decision to field Okowa for a senatorial contest in Delta North.
The group said some respondents in Delta North questioned the reported choice of the former governor over the incumbent senator, Prince Ned Nwoko, and called on the EFCC to clarify the status of its investigation into Okowa.
Okowa was arrested in November 2024 over allegations relating to the management of funds received during his eight-year tenure as Delta State governor.
HURIWA recalled media reports quoting EFCC sources as saying that the former governor was arrested after honouring an invitation from investigators at the commission’s Port Harcourt office.
The reports also linked the investigation to the alleged management of N1.3 trillion in 13 per cent derivation funds from the Federation Account between 2015 and 2023.
Other allegations reported at the time concerned funds purportedly used to acquire shares in a floating liquefied natural gas project and other investments.
However, HURIWA stressed that the allegations remained subject to investigation and did not establish Okowa’s guilt. It also noted that the former governor had denied wrongdoing, while his aide maintained that the EFCC had not established a case against him.
The association said the commission should either proceed with prosecution if the evidence justified criminal charges or clarify its position if the available evidence was insufficient.
‘Where investigators have sufficient evidence to prosecute, the EFCC should proceed without undue delay. Where the evidence is insufficient, the commission should equally clarify the position rather than leave the matter indefinitely unresolved,’ HURIWA said.
On Bello, the association expressed similar concerns over the EFCC’s allegations against the former Kogi governor concerning the purported diversion of public funds during his tenure.
It said the scale of the allegations warranted a transparent investigation and appropriate legal action where supported by evidence.
HURIWA, however, emphasised that neither allegations nor investigations should be treated as convictions, insisting that political office must not shield any individual from lawful investigation or prosecution.
The association also urged the APC to explain the rationale behind its reported senatorial choice in Delta North and called on political parties to adopt transparent standards for selecting candidates.
It further urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to apply electoral laws impartially, stressing that questions of candidate eligibility should be determined by relevant constitutional and statutory provisions rather than allegations alone.
HURIWA called on the EFCC to provide an update on the Okowa investigation and ensure that the cases involving both former governors were handled in accordance with the law.
‘Nigerians should not have to choose between respect for the presumption of innocence and the demand for accountability from public officials,’ the association said.
It maintained that the presumption of innocence and public accountability must be upheld simultaneously, adding that no politically influential individual should be insulated from investigation because of party affiliation or electoral ambitions.