The inclusion of former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, and former Chairman of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, Dr. Ngozi Olejeme, in the All Progressives Congress’ 2027 Presidential Campaign Council has renewed attention on unresolved anti-corruption matters associated with the two politicians.
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Under the campaign structure unveiled by the ruling party, Edu was appointed Director of Women Mobilisation, while Olejeme was named South-South Zonal Director for Election Planning, Coordination and Mobilisation.
The council is headed by former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, as Director-General, while Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, serves as Secretary.
The appointments return both women to prominent roles in the ruling party’s electoral machinery ahead of the 2027 presidential election, despite controversies that previously drew the attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Edu’s appointment is particularly significant because it marks her return to a high-profile political assignment after her suspension from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet in January 2024.
She was suspended as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation after the emergence of a memo in which she reportedly directed the then Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, to transfer about ₦585 million into a private account.
The development generated widespread controversy and prompted President Tinubu to order an investigation by the EFCC into activities connected with the humanitarian affairs ministry and its social intervention programmes.
Edu subsequently appeared at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja for questioning.
In April 2024, the anti-graft commission announced that it had recovered about ₦30 billion in investigations connected with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, while more than 50 bank accounts were reportedly being examined.
The recovery announced by the EFCC was linked to its broader investigation into the ministry and should not, without a formal finding, be treated as money personally recovered from Edu.
The former minister was eventually replaced during a cabinet reshuffle in October 2024. Nentawe Yilwatda, who subsequently became APC National Chairman, was appointed to head the ministry.
Following the cabinet reshuffle, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga confirmed that Edu was no longer a member of Tinubu’s cabinet.
Despite the investigation, no information contained in the present report establishes that Edu has been charged or convicted of any offence, while the EFCC has not publicly released a final report resolving the investigation referred to in the controversy.
Her appointment as the APC’s Director of Women Mobilisation therefore returns her to a major national political role more than two years after her suspension.
Olejeme, meanwhile, has faced a longer-running legal battle with the EFCC arising from her tenure as Chairman of the NSITF.
The anti-graft agency declared her wanted in September 2017 over allegations including criminal conspiracy, abuse of office and the alleged diversion of public funds.
In July 2020, the Federal High Court in Abuja granted an interim forfeiture order affecting 48 properties allegedly linked to her.
She was subsequently arraigned in October 2021 before an FCT High Court on a nine-count charge.
The allegations against Olejeme later became the subject of another prosecution.
In October 2025, the EFCC arraigned her before the Federal High Court in Abuja on an eight-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering.
The Commission accused the former NSITF chairman of converting, transferring and taking possession of approximately ₦1 billion allegedly representing proceeds of unlawful activity said to have been diverted from the NSITF between 2012 and 2015.
Olejeme pleaded not guilty to the charges.
EFCC counsel Emenike Mgbemele informed the court that the prosecution intended to call 14 witnesses in support of its case.
The presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, released Olejeme to her counsel and adjourned proceedings for consideration of her bail application.
The material available for the report does not establish the eventual outcome of that bail hearing or the present procedural stage of the prosecution.
Importantly, the charges against Olejeme remain allegations unless and until proved beyond reasonable doubt before the court, and her not-guilty plea preserves the presumption of innocence guaranteed to every defendant facing criminal prosecution.
Against that background, her appointment as the APC’s South-South Zonal Director for Election Planning, Coordination and Mobilisation places her in a strategic position in the ruling party’s campaign organisation while questions surrounding the criminal case remain unresolved publicly.
The two appointments are therefore different in legal status.
While Edu was investigated by the EFCC following her suspension from the Federal Executive Council, the supplied record does not show that she is currently standing trial, Olejeme has been formally arraigned and pleaded not guilty to criminal charges.
Their return to prominent political roles is nevertheless expected to renew public scrutiny of the APC’s selection and vetting process for members of its presidential campaign council, particularly against the backdrop of the administration’s stated commitment to combating corruption.
Neither the appointments nor the allegations themselves amount to findings of wrongdoing.
For Edu, the outstanding question remains the final outcome of the investigation that followed her suspension. For Olejeme, the allegations remain before the courts and must be determined through the judicial process.
Their inclusion in the 2027 campaign council consequently brings the two longstanding anti-graft controversies back into the political spotlight as the APC begins full mobilisation for the presidential election.
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Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe Esq., ACIarb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
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