Wike: EFCC Investigations Shouldn't Halt Campaigning

Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, asserted that being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) does not disqualify individuals from participating in political campaigns. He made this statement during a media parley in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, while defending the inclusion of Betta Edu, former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, in the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign structure for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.

Edu, who was appointed as the director of Women Mobilisation in the APC Presidential Campaign Council, was suspended by President Tinubu in January 2024 due to allegations of financial impropriety and is currently under investigation by the EFCC. Wike questioned the rationale behind excluding individuals facing investigations from campaigning, especially when no conviction has been established.

He cited examples of individuals with EFCC cases who have successfully contested elections, emphasizing that even those serving prison sentences can support candidates and campaign for votes.