ADC Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar
The media office of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Tinubu to order an independent investigation into allegations that some ministers paid billions of naira to secure their appointments.
The call followed remarks allegedly made by Alwan Hassan, a spokesperson for President Tinubu’s Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), who reportedly claimed that some ministers paid huge sums to obtain their appointments and later attempted to recover the money after assuming office.
Reacting in a statement on Friday, Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe, said the allegation did not come from the opposition but from a member of the President’s own political camp, making it a matter that deserves urgent attention.
According to Ibe, “Nigerians did not hear this allegation from the opposition. It came from Alwan Hassan, a spokesperson for Tinubu’s Presidential Campaign Council, who alleged that some ministers paid billions of naira to secure appointments and subsequently sought to recover their money.”
He described the claim as a serious allegation and insisted that it required answers rather than political attacks.
“This is a grave allegation from within the President’s own political camp. It demands answers, not another round of insults directed at the opposition,” Ibe said.
The Atiku aide questioned the identities of those allegedly involved and called for full disclosure.
“Which ministers paid? Who collected the money? What evidence does Hassan possess? And what does President Tinubu know?” he asked.
Ibe also referred to previous allegations linking the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to claims of payments for ministerial appointments, saying Hassan’s remarks had renewed the need for an independent investigation into the process.
According to him, if public offices are obtained through financial inducement, governance could become focused on recovering investments instead of serving the people.
“The danger is obvious: when public office becomes a purchased investment, public service risks becoming an exercise in capital recovery. Citizens seeking better healthcare, education, electricity and jobs become secondary to officeholders seeking returns,” he said.
He added that if the allegations were true, Nigerians deserved to know whether ministries were serving the public interest or private financial interests.
Ibe further argued that restricting funds to ministries, as reportedly defended by Hassan, could not replace a proper investigation into the allegations.
“The EFCC and ICPC should obtain Hassan’s evidence and investigate everyone implicated, irrespective of office or political connection,” he said.
He questioned whether anti-corruption agencies would have responded differently if similar allegations had been made against opposition politicians.
The Atiku aide also urged President Tinubu to personally address the issue.
“His campaign cannot ask Nigerians to renew his mandate while its own spokesperson raises questions about whether access to his cabinet carries a price tag,” he stated.
He concluded by saying that ministerial appointments are a public trust and should be occupied by individuals committed to serving Nigerians rather than recovering an alleged financial investment.
The Presidency and the individuals mentioned in the statement had not publicly responded to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.
The statement follows growing political exchanges ahead of the 2027 general election, with opposition figures and members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) increasingly trading accusations over governance, transparency and accountability. The allegations have not been independently verified, and no evidence has yet been made public to support the claims.
