Former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, and ex-chairman of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, Ngozi Olejeme, have been named members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2027 presidential campaign council.
NEWSNGR reports that the APC unveiled the campaign council on Saturday, appointing former Zamfara State Governor and serving senator, Abdulaziz Yari, as Director-General, while Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma was named Secretary.
Edu and Olejeme were assigned roles in the campaign structure despite having previously faced allegations and investigations relating to financial misconduct.
Edu, who appears as number 97 on the campaign council list, was appointed Director of Women’s Mobilisation.
Her inclusion comes more than two years after President Bola Tinubu suspended her as humanitarian affairs minister over a controversial financial transaction.
On January 8, 2024, Tinubu suspended Edu after a memo emerged in which she reportedly directed the Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, to transfer ₦585 million to a private account.
The President subsequently directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the ministry’s financial transactions.
Edu was later questioned by EFCC officials at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
The development also led to the suspension of programmes under the National Social Investment Programme Authority (NSIPA) for six weeks as the Federal Government commenced a probe into alleged irregularities surrounding the agency.
In April 2024, the EFCC announced that it had recovered N30bn in connection with its investigation into activities within the humanitarian affairs ministry.
The commission also disclosed that it was examining about 50 bank accounts as part of the investigation.
Edu was eventually removed from the Federal Executive Council in October 2024.
Tinubu subsequently appointed Nentawe Yilwatda, now the APC national chairman, as her replacement in the ministry during a cabinet reshuffle.
Five days after the reshuffle, the President’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed that Edu was no longer a member of the cabinet.
Onanuga said, “As far as this government is concerned, there is no longer a place for her in that cabinet.”
When asked about the outcome of the investigation into the former minister, the presidential spokesman said the EFCC had yet to make its findings public.
Olejeme Gets South-South Role
Olejeme, who is number 37 on the campaign council list, was appointed South-South Zonal Director for Election Planning, Coordination and Mobilisation.
Her appointment comes as she faces a pending money laundering case instituted by the EFCC.
In October 2025, the anti-graft agency arraigned the former NSITF board chairman before a Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged ₦1 billion money laundering.
She was charged with eight counts involving alleged conversion, transfer, procurement and possession of proceeds of unlawful activities.
The EFCC alleged that Olejeme diverted funds belonging to the NSITF between 2012 and 2015 while serving as chairman of the agency’s board.
Following her plea, the prosecution counsel, Emenike Mgbemele, requested a trial date and informed the court that the EFCC planned to call 14 witnesses.
Justice Emeka Nwite subsequently released Olejeme to her lawyer and adjourned the matter to November 17 for hearing of her bail application.
In September 2017, the EFCC declared her wanted over allegations bordering on “criminal conspiracy, abuse of office, diversion of public funds and money laundering” involving about ₦69 billion.
Three years later, in July 2020, a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the interim forfeiture of 48 properties allegedly linked to the former NSITF chairman.
In October 2021, she was also arraigned before a Federal Capital Territory High Court on nine counts.
