By Femi Adefemiwa
https://www.digital.zenithbank.com/ZEQ/ZEQ-jan-2026/index.html#p=1In my earlier intervention on the composition of President Tinubu’s Presidential Campaign Council, I raised questions about the credibility implications of some of the appointments, including that of Dr. Betta Edu. The APC has now offered a defence of her inclusion, principally on the ground that she has neither been convicted nor found guilty of any offence.
Fair enough.
Indeed, I will be the last person to pronounce anyone guilty merely on the basis of allegations. Our laws are clear on the presumption of innocence, and that protection must apply to everyone, whether we like them or not.
But that was never my point.
The issue here is not whether Betta Edu has been convicted. She has not. The issue is what became of the investigation that followed her suspension from office in January 2024.
Let us remember how we got here.
President Tinubu suspended Dr. Edu as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation following allegations concerning the handling of public funds. The matter was referred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for investigation.
That was nearly two years ago.
So, what happened?
If the investigation has been concluded and Betta Edu was found to have done nothing wrong, why not tell Nigerians? In fact, if that is the case, she deserves to have her name publicly cleared. Nobody should be left indefinitely under the burden of allegations that an investigation has found to be without merit.
But if the investigation has not been concluded, then Nigerians are equally entitled to ask why someone suspended from public office because of those allegations is now considered suitable for a prominent role in the President’s reelection campaign, while the very matter that occasioned her suspension remains hanging.
These are legitimate questions. They have nothing to do with pronouncing anybody guilty.
The APC’s position that the campaign council is essentially an internal party affair does not quite persuade me either.
Yes, a political party has the right to determine its own structures and appoint whoever it considers useful to its electoral cause. But a presidential campaign seeking the mandate of Nigerians cannot, in the same breath, be treated as something entirely private.
You are asking the public for votes.
You are presenting a candidate to the public.
You are assembling men and women who will speak for that candidate, mobilise for him and persuade Nigerians to entrust him with another four years in office.
Surely, the public has a legitimate interest in who those people are.
There is also a distinction that we must not conveniently blur: presumption of innocence is not the same thing as suitability for political responsibility.
The first is a fundamental legal protection. The second is a matter of judgment.
We sometimes make the mistake in Nigeria of reducing every question of public morality to whether somebody has been convicted by a court. Public confidence cannot be measured by that standard alone. There are issues of perception, propriety, accountability and the integrity of institutions.
And this is precisely where my concern lies.
Betta Edu may very well be innocent of every allegation made against her. If so, let the institutions of state say so clearly and bring the matter to an end. She deserves that much.
What should worry us is a system in which a senior public official can be suspended, investigated amid considerable public attention, and then, with the passage of time, the investigation simply disappears from public view while political life moves on as though nothing happened.
That cannot strengthen public confidence.
The question, therefore, is really a very simple one:
What became of the Betta Edu investigation?
If she has been cleared, tell Nigerians.
If the investigation is still ongoing, tell Nigerians why it has taken this long.
If there is a case to answer, let the law take its course.
Whichever way it goes, there must be closure.
This is no longer merely about Betta Edu. It is about the credibility of our institutions and whether investigations involving politically exposed persons are pursued to their logical conclusions, irrespective of political convenience.
That, for me, remains the issue.
Femi Adefemiwa is a global Nigerian, public communicator, and advocate for good governance. He is the author of “Remote Working From Africa: A Practical Guide” and writes from the United States of America. He can be reached at jerome.adefemiwa@gmail.com.
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this article are solely belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, views, opinions, or position of News Wings NG, its management, editorial team, or staff.
