EFCC probe shouldn’t bar anyone from campaigning, canvassing votes — Wike

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike, has argued that being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) does not automatically disqualify a person from participating in political campaigns or canvassing for votes.

Wike made the assertion on Wednesday during his routine monthly media parley in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, monitored in Abuja, while defending the inclusion of individuals facing allegations or investigations in political campaign structures.

His comments followed controversy over the inclusion of former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, in the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign structure for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.

Edu was listed as Director of Women Mobilisation in the APC Presidential Campaign Council. She was suspended by President Tinubu in January 2024 following allegations of financial impropriety and was subsequently investigated by the EFCC.

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Wike questioned the basis for excluding a person from campaigning simply because the individual was being investigated, particularly where no conviction had been established.

“You were asking the moral justification of putting someone who has an EFCC case to be in a campaign council. And I was just watching the lady. The lady doesn’t even know what to say,” Wike said.

He added: “Now, somebody cannot be in a campaign to canvass for votes for a particular person, but somebody who has an EFCC case can contest an election and win an election?”

The Minister said there had been instances in which individuals facing criminal allegations or court cases contested elections and emerged victorious.

“This person had an EFCC case in court, charged to court. He contested an election and became a governor,” he said, without identifying the individual.

Wike also took his argument further, saying even a person serving a prison sentence could express political support for a candidate and canvass votes through others.

“Listen. Even a prisoner, maybe they have somebody in prison. I go and visit the person. The person can tell me, ‘My brother, I want you to support so-and-so candidate.’ A prisoner has canvassed for vote,” he said.

The Minister also referred to an unnamed individual allegedly linked to a coup plot, questioning the criticism generated when such a person was said to have supported a political candidate.

“I was watching, when Channels, when Sunrise, who came up to say, ‘Ah, how can somebody who’s being looked for as a coup plotter is now canvassing for votes for so-and-so government?’ Somebody EFCC is looking for is now canvassing for votes for so-and-so person,” Wike said.

He maintained that an ongoing investigation should not, by itself, prevent a political party or candidate from accepting an individual’s support during an election campaign.

“But a party, or a candidate cannot, simply because EFCC is investigating the person, cannot be a member of the campaign council to campaign for votes,” he said.