...Onoh challenges APC spokesman to prove sale of ministerial seats
By Emma Nnadozie
Former South-East spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu’s 2023 Presidential Campaign Council, Denge Josef Onoh, has challenged All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign council spokesperson Alwan Hassan to provide evidence for his claim that ministerial appointments in Nigeria are secured through payments running into billions of naira.
Onoh, who is also chairman of the Forum of Former Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly, described the allegation as damaging to Nigeria’s democratic institutions and international reputation.
In a statement made available to journalists in Lagos, Onoh faulted Hassan’s reported remarks during an interview on Arise Television, in which he allegedly claimed that ministerial positions were purchased and that appointees sought to recover their financial investments through the looting of public funds.
Onoh argued that the allegation should not be generalised to previous administrations without verifiable evidence, insisting that claims of corruption must be supported by facts rather than used to justify alleged wrongdoing in the present government.
He said Hassan should provide the names of former ministers who allegedly paid for their appointments, the intermediaries involved, the amounts paid and the dates of the transactions.
According to Onoh, the absence of such evidence would undermine attempts to portray the alleged practice as a longstanding feature of Nigeria’s democratic history.
Defending the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Onoh described it as a period when appointments to the Federal Executive Council were based on merit, character, intellectual capacity and administrative competence.
He argued that Obasanjo assembled technocrats and experienced professionals who contributed to Nigeria’s economic and institutional reforms.
Onoh cited the country’s external debt relief, banking sector consolidation, telecommunications expansion and the establishment of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) as notable achievements associated with that period.
He challenged former cabinet members who served between 1999 and 2023 to state whether they paid to secure their appointments, maintaining that allegations against previous administrations should not be accepted without evidence.
The former campaign council spokesperson also criticised what he described as a departure from the discipline and institutional respect that characterised the campaign structure under the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said Hassan’s reported comments raised questions about cohesion and discipline within the current administration’s political communication structure.
Onoh further warned that allegations portraying ministerial appointments as commercial transactions could damage Nigeria’s international standing, discourage foreign investment and weaken public confidence in government institutions.
He described the reported remarks as an affront to Nigerians, arguing that appointments to public office should be determined by competence, patriotism and a commitment to public service rather than financial considerations.
Onoh, who said he remained a supporter of democratic governance and the Tinubu administration, added that the allegations, if substantiated, would raise serious questions about the integrity of the government’s appointment process.
He argued that the President should address the controversy and take steps to restore public confidence in the Federal Executive Council.
Onoh also called for a comprehensive cabinet reshuffle, urging Tinubu to appoint people he described as competent, patriotic and morally upright.
He warned that failure to address the concerns could have political consequences for the ruling party in the 2027 general elections.
The allegations attributed to Hassan could not be independently verified from the statement provided. Hassan’s response to Onoh’s criticism was also not included in the statement.
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