APC primaries: Nigerians talk about clearance of Okowa and Bello despite corruption probe

Following the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries for senatorial aspirants in which former Delta State governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, and his Kogi State counterpart, Yahaya Bello, won their respective elections and were allowed to contest, Nigerians have condemned the development.

Okowa and Bello are currently on trial by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for corruption amounting to billions of Naira.

Recall that the anti-corruption agency arrested him in November 2024 on charges of diverting ₦1.3 trillion of public funds and misusing state resources to acquire corporate properties and investments. Details of the charges include: $1.3 Trillion Offtake Fund: The EFCC is investigating its alleged failure to account for the vast sums of 13% of oil offtake funds allocated to Delta State between 2015 and 2023. It is accused of failing to account for ₦40 billion that it said was used to purchase an 8% equity stake in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas.

Investigators also came across the suspected diversion of state funds to acquire major real estate in Asaba and Abuja.

After his arrest, Okowa left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). This led to public speculation that the investigation might be dropped.

The investigation appears to have entered a political cooling phase, even as the EFCC has maintained that defection offers no shield or immunity.

Despite subsequent protests over the pace of the investigation, the agency has said publicly that the corruption probe remains active.

Bello, on the other hand, is facing two major corruption and money laundering trials by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC): ₦80.2 billion case: A 19-count indictment before the Federal High Court in Abuja involving funds allegedly diverted from the Kogi State treasury and used to acquire luxury properties in Nigeria and Dubai. ₦110.4 billion case: A 16-count indictment in the FCT High Court bordering on criminal breach of trust and real estate fraud.

The EFCC accuses Bello of extensive financial illicit conduct, including the diversion of state funds through multiple currency exchange operators and related companies. The agency also alleges that he took hundreds of thousands of dollars directly from state coffers to prepay his children’s school fees.

Bello has consistently denied all allegations, claiming that the charges leveled against him are politically motivated.

He has repeatedly evaded arrest and stalled his arraignment in court, leading to highly publicized standoffs with the EFCC at his Abuja residence and Kogi State Government Lodge.

Despite the ongoing multi-billion fraud trials, the All Progressives Congress (APC) cleared Bello to contest and win the party’s senatorial primaries for Kogi Central, setting the stage for him to challenge the incumbent Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Reacting to this development, Professor Abdullah Abubakar, a political scientist, told this medium that “the victories of Okowa and Bello are a testament to the long-standing belief of many Nigerians that this administration is the center of corruption. Imagine politicians on trial for high-profile corruption cases being given a clean bill of health to run for a seat in the National Assembly to represent the same people whose money they have brazenly looted. Tinubu’s administration is a joke. This government will go down in history as the most tragically comedic administration we’ve ever had.

In his reaction, Biodun Agunbiade, a civil servant, told this medium that “when I heard that Okowa had defeated the amiable Senator Nwoko, I knew Nigeria was finished. It is like a nightmare. Can you imagine Okowa, who is on trial for corruption, defeating Nwoko who had done well for his people? The APC as a party, at least with this development, is a comedy of errors. Nigerians should reject them at the polls.”

The question that has continued to agitate many Nigerians is: Why should the immediate past governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa and other candidates for political office facing criminal charges be allowed to contest elections in Nigeria?

Why were the “people” at the center of these corruption cases allowed to participate in the APC senatorial primaries or become involved in the political landscape of Delta North and Kogi Central?

Desmond Atake, an activist, said “Nigeria under the current administration has lost its moral compass.

He noted that “Currently, Okowa, Bello and others who have corruption cases on their necks should be treated like political lepers and should have been ostracized from politics. Yet the APC is rewarding them!

According to Wilson Okonkwo, a data analyst, “Okowa’s victory is the best example of what we can call government giving official support to corruption.”

Ahmed Walata, a political analyst, said that “until corrupt politicians like Okowa, Bello and others are publicly executed to serve as a deterrent to others who plan to use public funds to enrich themselves, Nigeria will continue to go from bad to worse.”

He continues: “In countries like China, if you are involved in corrupt illicit practices, you are executed. In Japan, you commit suicide. In Europe and America, you are in prison.”

“Why then in Africa, especially in Nigeria, are you allowed to continue to participate in politics and hold public office, walk freely in society, dictate the tone and keep your loot?

“Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency should tell Nigerians why Okowa is allowed freedom to the point of having impunity to contest the recent Delta North senatorial primaries, while Nasir El Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, who is facing the same charges is still detained by the anti-corruption agency?

“Why did the anti-corruption agency, after concluding investigations into Okowa, refuse to charge him in court?