APC presidential campaign council members accused of corruption

ON August 22, 2026, President Bola Tinubu approved a list of nearly 300 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election.

Tinubu is the council’s chairman, while Vice-President Kashim Shettima and APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda were named vice-chairmen. Former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari was appointed director-general, while Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma was named secretary.

However, buried in the list are some party chieftains who have faced allegations of mismanaging public funds and assets.

Bello Matawalle

The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, is the council’s Deputy Director of the Security and Intelligence Directorate. His inclusion in the list has raised questions among Nigerians about his competence, particularly amid worsening insecurity in the country and Zamfara State, where he previously served as governor.

Almost three years into his tenure at the Defence Ministry, Nigerian and Zamfara, the state he governed from 2019 to 2023, continue to suffer deadly attacks, kidnappings and attacks on security personnel.

Shortly before Matawalle left office as Zamfara governor in May 2023, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission announced that it was investigating him over allegations of corruption, award of phantom contracts and diversion of more than N70 billion.

The allegations were not the only controversy the former governor was embroiled in. In June 2023, shortly after he left office, the state government demanded the return of official vehicles that he and other members of his administration allegedly took away after losing the election on the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP)

Police subsequently recovered more than 40 vehicles from Matawalle after the Zamfara government obtained a court order. He challenged the seizure and claimed the vehicles were his personal property.

The dispute eventually reached the Court of Appeal in Sokoto, but on August 8, 2025, a three-member panel dismissed his appeal.

The ICIR reports that some of the council’s principal officers occupy positions directly connected to public resources, while others have faced scandals or disgraced out of public office.

Abdul’Aziz Yari

Former Zamfara State governor and current senator, Abdul’Aziz Yari, was appointed Director-General of the campaign, despite having faced corruption allegations.

In May 2022, the EFCC arrested Yari in connection with its investigation into alleged diversion and laundering of N84 billion involving the former Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris. The former accountant-general was accused of diverting and laundering N84 billion through bogus consultancies, proxies, family members and associates.

According to the EFCC, the transaction was linked to what investigators described as a purported ₦22 billion SURE-P refund. The commission alleged that funds from the wider ₦84 billion suspected fraud were channelled through intermediaries and ultimately benefited Yari.

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Betta Edu

Similarly, the suspended Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Betta Edu, made the campaign list as the Director, Women Mobilisation, despite facing a scandalous case in court. She was suspended from office by Tinubu in January 2024 over N585 million fraud.

The suspension followed criticisms that trailed her leaked letter instructing the Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, to pay N585 million into a private account managed by United Bank of Africa (UBA) and owned by one Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola.

The ICIR reported that Edu, through a statement by her media aide, Rasheed Zubair, confirmed the payment and said the fund was for the payment of grants to vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Lagos states.

The ICIR reported that the claim contravenes Nigeria’s Public Sector Financial Regulation Act (2009).

Reacting to Edu’s action, Tinubu said his decision to suspend her was in line with his pledges and commitment to uphold integrity, transparency, and accountability in managing the commonwealth of Nigerians.

Tinubu also directed the EFCC to thoroughly investigate all financial transactions involving the ministry and its agencies.

. The EFCC later reported recovering ₦32.7 billion in the course of its investigation.

Ngozi Olejeme

The former chairman of the board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Ngozi Olejeme, also made the list as the South-South Zonal Director, Election Planning, Coordination and Mobilisation, despite facing a Federal High Court case over alleged money laundering involving about ₦1 billion.

Olejeme was arraigned on October 8, 2025, before a judge, Emeka Nwite, of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja. The EFCC said the eight-count charge concerned allegedly converting, transferring, procuring and taking possession of proceeds of unlawful activity totalling N1 billion. One of the counts alleged that in February 2012, while Olejeme was NSITF board chairman, she indirectly converted N321.6 million paid into the Sterling Bank account of Adin Miles International Ltd, allegedly knowing that the money constituted proceeds of unlawful activity.

Another count alleged that she procured one Chuka C. Eze to convert US$2 million into naira for payment to Adin Miles International Ltd, allegedly knowing that the money constituted proceeds of unlawful activity.

Olejeme had already been under EFCC scrutiny since 2017, as the antigraft agency declared her wanted over allegations including criminal conspiracy, abuse of office, diversion of public funds and money laundering. In July 2020, a Federal High Court ordered the interim forfeiture of 48 properties allegedly belonging to her.

She was arraigned in October 2021 on a separate nine-count charge before a judge, Maryam Hassan Aliyu of the FCT High Court.