Former Minister of Youth and Sports Solomon Dalung has alleged that corruption could become a requirement for political appointments if President Bola Tinubu wins the 2027 presidential election, following concerns over the composition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign council.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, Dalung said the inclusion of individuals he accused of having corruption allegations hanging over them raised questions about the kind of government the APC intends to form if Tinubu secures another term.
“To me, it seems like corruption will be part of the requirements if president Bola Ametinibu wins election in 2027 for anybody to be nominated into the cabinet or to hit any agencies.”
He said the credibility of the 2027 electoral process should begin with the quality of candidates and the people selected to campaign for them. “The credibility of any transition process begins with nominations of those qualified to contest, and then those that are put forward to solicit support and convince people to support the various candidates.”
According to Dalung, the 2027 political process has already begun, with nominations completed and campaigns underway. “Now, of great concern is the list of people saddled with the responsibilities of campaigning for the various candidates, So far, we have the list of the APC, and it has elicited serious concern by Nigerians looking at the characters that populated that list.”
He specifically questioned the record of the former Zamfara State governor and APC campaign council chairman, senator Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari alleging that he had forfeited properties or money to the Federal Government. “The chairman of the campaign council himself, the former governor of Zamfara, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, is somebody that on so many occasions, he has made so many forfeitures of either properties or monies to the federal government of Nigeria, meaning that he is a corrupt personality.”
He also raised allegations concerning other individuals he said were included in the campaign council. “We also have Dr. Edu Betta, who also was removed for corruption, investigated, and nothing is heard of it.”
“We also have a personality, the former NSITF director general, who also was removed based on corruption.”
Dalung said the presence of people facing such allegations in a campaign structure created concerns about the future direction of the country under the APC. “So, if you have a campaign council made up of this personality, who have corruption hanging on their necks like the sword of Democrat, then you will question, what does the future look like? What type of government are we trying to put in the future?”
He also questioned what a second Tinubu administration would look like if the president were re-elected. “And what will the president, Bola Ametinibu, if elected, look like in 2027?”
Dalung said the campaign council controversy suggested that people seeking government positions could be expected to demonstrate a history of corruption. “You must show your capacity to loot or that you have previous corruption charges hanging on your neck for you to be qualified to be appointed. This is my take on that list.”
He also criticised the APC’s decision to withdraw and review the campaign council list. “Now that they have admitted to review the list, speaks volumes on their preparation to lead Nigeria in 2027, It means it is a government of trial by error.”
Dalung argued that the Tinubu administration should have been better prepared after more than three years in office, particularly given the president’s previous experience as a governor and senator. “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not prepared for the challenges of Nigeria because I’ve been having led Nigeria for over three years and what his experiences as former governor and senator, we should not be having this now.”
He said the controversy over the campaign council reflected wider concerns about the administration’s ability to respond to Nigeria’s problems. “Now, this can explain why we have a plethora of agencies all over the place because I mean, a government that is prepared to take up challenges like the one Nigeria is facing should demonstrate the capacity to deal with the situation.”
Dalung said the APC’s decision to review the list after its release amounted to an admission that the original choices were problematic. “They cannot throw a list of very corrupt persons to our face and then turn around to say, oh, they are going to review it, This is a vote of no confidence passed on themselves and I think Nigerians should take note of this.”
He said the same standard should apply to every political party preparing for the 2027 election. “Not only the APC, but any other political party that will be found guilty of this type of behaviour. Nigerians should note that that party is not prepared to present a presidential candidate if elected that will tackle the challenges of Nigeria.”
Dalung rejected the suggestion that his criticism of the APC was motivated by his current position outside the ruling party. “I have been very consistent on my point about the country, It is not about where you stand that matters very much.”
He said Nigerians should not dismiss criticism simply because of the political affiliation or previous government role of the person making it. “If we are going to look at issues from the standpoint of people and then evaluate their contribution from that standpoint, we will miss the point.”
Dalung said criticism of the government was not limited to opposition politicians, pointing to professionals, the media and ordinary Nigerians. “It’s not only the opposition that is talking about the situation in Nigeria. We have professionals who have been airing their opinions, we have the media who have been criticising the government. We have even ordinary Nigerians who have also been using the social media space to criticise the government.”
He said the central issue should be the government’s ability to deliver on its promises. “So, it is about the capacity of the government to deliver on its campaign promises. It’s not about belonging to either opposition or not.”
Responding to criticism that he did not publicly condemn alleged corruption during the administration in which he served, Dalung said being part of a government did not remove his right to speak about national issues. “I think trying to profile Nigerians on whether they play a role in history and have been unable to act at a particular point in time does not deny them of the right to speak.”
He said there were internal channels through which issues could be raised while he was in government. “Like you pointed out when I was in government, you wanted me to call them out. Of course, as in government, there were channels within which you can call out, you can talk, you can correct things, which I actually did.”
Dalung said his criticism was also informed by what he described as the economic burden facing Nigerians following the removal of fuel subsidy. “When we were in government, fuel subsidy was not removed, So, if a government has removed fuel subsidy and that same government cannot account for the fuel subsidy it has withdrawn, the same government is still asking Nigerians to sacrifice, while the transformation we have is that of the people in government.”
He also criticised the government over borrowing, arguing that Nigerians had yet to see sufficient results from the funds. “The same government has borrowed more than 1960 till date, yet there is nothing to show for it on the ground.
Dalung said past silence should not prevent Nigerians from speaking when they believe the country is facing serious challenges. “Of course, we cannot continue to maintain or dignify silence because maybe at a point we were expected to call out and we didn’t do it.”
On fuel subsidy, Dalung said he supported its reintroduction, arguing that its removal had not benefited ordinary Nigerians. “On fuel subsidy, I stand with the reintroduction of fuel subsidy because the withdrawal of fuel subsidy has not benefited Nigeria, Rather, it has benefited the few people in government. They are the only people we can see them transform.”
He also criticised Tinubu over comments concerning poverty in Nigeria. “The president has transformed from somebody who was very weak in 2023. He is very strong now, He can afford to tell Nigerians that since he was born, poverty has been in Nigeria. So, it should not be an issue.”
Dalung maintained that restoring the subsidy would provide relief for ordinary Nigerians. “So, on fuel subsidy, let’s reintroduce fuel subsidy because that is the only thing that benefits the common man.”
Dalung also accused the Tinubu administration of lacking the capacity to confront corruption. “On the issue of corruption, we must approach corruption frontally, this government has no capacity to deal with corruption because it is foundation on corruption.”
He then raised questions about the educational information contained in Tinubu’s nomination documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). “If you look at the nomination of the president’s form before INEC, primary school, nil. Secondary school, nil. But he has BSE in accounting. That is fraud.”
Dalung argued that a government facing such allegations could not effectively lead an anti-corruption campaign. “A government foundation on that type of situation cannot fight corruption.”
On state police, Dalung said he supported the establishment of state-controlled police forces. “On state police, state police is much needed as a contribution to security in Nigeria, but the timing as we have it now will not give us the desired results as it is expected.”
Despite his criticism of the administration, Dalung commended Tinubu for pushing the National Assembly to pass legislation enabling state police. “But I would have to commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for insisting and pressurising the National Assembly to have the state police act passed.”
He, however, warned that the benefits would not be immediate and could take years to materialise. “But Nigeria should not expect the benefits now because it is going to take a long period, even longer than when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be in office for us to benefit.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
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