The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has challenged President Bola Tinubu to investigate allegations that some ministers pay billions of naira to secure appointments and subsequently seek to recover the money from public resources.
The council also urged the President to clarify whether he was aware of the alleged practice, following claims by Alwan Hassan, a spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, during an interview on Arise Television last Thursday.
“A lot of ministers pay billions and billions, and you know, to get themselves appointed. The first thing they think of is how to recoup that money,” Hassan said while defending Tinubu’s direct oversight of government expenditure. He also described ministers as among the most corrupt public officials under successive administrations, arguing that the problem was not peculiar to the ruling APC.
In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the ADC-PCC described the allegation as serious and deserving of a transparent investigation, warning that, if substantiated, it would suggest that public appointments were being treated as commercial transactions rather than positions of public trust.
The council said the allegation raised troubling questions about the integrity of ministerial appointments and the possibility that public officials might prioritise recovering money allegedly spent to secure their positions over serving Nigerians. It added that the claims were particularly concerning at a time when citizens were grappling with rising living costs, insecurity and mounting economic hardship.
The ADC-PCC urged Hassan to substantiate his remarks by identifying the ministers allegedly involved, disclosing the amounts purportedly paid and naming those who received the money. It also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate any credible evidence of financial inducements linked to ministerial appointments.
The council further urged the National Assembly to consider a public inquiry into the allegation and invite Hassan to explain his claims and present any supporting evidence. It stressed that the demands were intended to establish the facts, ensure accountability and protect the integrity of public institutions.
“Public office is a responsibility, not a commercial transaction. Ministerial appointments must be guided by competence, integrity and a commitment to national service—not by financial inducements or expectations of private returns,” the statement said.
The controversy emerged from Hassan’s defence of Tinubu’s hands-on approach to government spending, during which he questioned the wisdom of giving ministers control over budgetary allocations. Remarks that have since raised questions about the relationship between political appointments, campaign financing and the management of public resources.
However, Hassan did not name any minister or identify anyone who allegedly received the payments, and he provided no evidence to substantiate the claim during the interview. The allegation therefore remains unverified, with no specific minister publicly identified as having paid to secure an appointment.
The ADC-PCC also questioned whether the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda was adequately addressing the interests of ordinary Nigerians, insisting that the President must respond to the allegation and demonstrate his commitment to transparency and accountability.
VAN
