Atiku asks Tinubu to name recipients of alleged ministerial appointment bribes

Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has asked President Bola Tinubu to identify those who allegedly received bribes from ministers seeking appointments.

In a post on X on Friday, Atiku cited remarks attributed to a presidential campaign spokesperson alleging that ministers paid billions of naira to secure their positions.

“Bola @officialABAT, your campaign spokesman has admitted that ministers paid billions in bribes to secure their appointments. You appointed them, so who received the money? Nigerians deserve names, not silence,” Atiku wrote.

He also accused the administration of worsening the cost-of-living crisis and withholding funds from ministries.

“Your government’s reckless decisions have driven the cost-of-living crisis. And when you withhold funds from ministries because you distrust your own ministers, Nigerians are left paying for a government that has abandoned them,” he added.

Earlier, Atiku’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, called for an investigation into allegations that some ministers paid for their appointments.

In a statement posted on X on Friday, Ibe attributed the allegation to Alwan Hassan, a spokesperson for Tinubu’s Presidential Campaign Council.

“Nigerians did not hear this allegation from the opposition. It came from Alwan Hassan, a spokesperson for Tinubu’s Presidential Campaign Council, who alleged that some ministers paid billions of naira to secure appointments and subsequently sought to recover their money,” he said.

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Ibe described the allegation as grave and deserving of answers from the presidency.

“Which ministers paid? Who collected the money? What evidence does Hassan possess? And what does President Tinubu know?” he asked.

He warned that purchasing public office could undermine service delivery.

“The danger is obvious: when public office becomes a purchased investment, public service risks becoming an exercise in capital recovery. Citizens seeking better healthcare, education, electricity and jobs become secondary to officeholders seeking returns,” he said.

Ibe said that, if substantiated, the allegation would raise questions about the administration’s priorities.

“If Hassan’s allegation is true, Nigerians deserve to know whether their ministries are serving the public or servicing private investments,” he said.

According to Ibe, Hassan reportedly made the remarks while defending restrictions on funding to ministries. He argued that withholding funds could not substitute for investigating alleged corruption.

“Nigerians must not be denied essential services because officials allegedly bought their appointments,” he said.

Ibe urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to obtain Hassan’s evidence and investigate anyone implicated.

“The EFCC and ICPC should obtain Hassan’s evidence and investigate everyone implicated, irrespective of office or political connection. Were opposition leaders the subjects of these allegations, would the agencies be waiting this patiently?” he asked.

He also called on Tinubu to address the matter directly.

“His campaign cannot ask Nigerians to renew his mandate while its own spokesperson raises questions about whether access to his cabinet carries a price tag. Nigeria’s ministries are a public trust. Nigerians deserve ministers committed to public service, not the recovery of an alleged purchase price,” Ibe said.