Tinubu’s 2027 campaign council faces backlash over convicted governors’ inclusion

Two former governors convicted of looting billions of naira in public funds have been appointed to President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign council, sparking fresh scrutiny of the administration’s anti-corruption credentials, Peoples Gazette reports. Jolly Nyame, former governor of Taraba State, and Joshua Dariye, former governor of Plateau State, will serve in the council’s contact mobilisation division, according to a statement by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga on Saturday.

Nyame, 70, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2018 for diverting N1.64 billion in state funds, while Dariye was jailed for 10 years in 2021 over the looting of about N2 billion. Both received presidential pardons from the late President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022 after serving only part of their sentences. Announcing the appointments, Mr Tinubu urged campaign members to highlight the administration’s economic achievements and “soundly defeat all those forces who plan to take our country backwards.”

The inclusion of the pardoned ex-governors follows closely on the appointment of two other controversial figures — former Humanitarian Affairs Minister Betta Edu and former NSITF Chairman Ngozi Olejeme — whose cases remain unresolved, Premium Times reports. Edu was suspended in January 2024 over an alleged attempt to divert N585 million to a private account, while Olejeme is currently facing EFCC prosecution over alleged financial crimes linked to her NSITF tenure. Edu was named Director of Women Mobilisation, while Olejeme was appointed Zonal Director for Election Planning, Coordination and Mobilisation in the South-South.

The pattern of rewarding individuals convicted or under investigation for corruption with political positions raises pointed questions about the sincerity of Tinubu’s anti-graft posture ahead of 2027. While Nyame and Dariye have technically completed the legal process — conviction, sentencing and presidential pardon — critics argue that elevating convicted looters to prominent campaign roles sends a troubling signal, effectively rehabilitating politicians whose crimes were proven in court rather than distancing the party from them. For Edu and Olejeme, whose cases are unresolved or still before the courts, the optics are arguably worse: neither has been cleared, yet both now hold influential mobilisation roles within the ruling party’s machinery.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has seized on this pattern, describing the campaign council as a “rehabilitation centre” for corruption suspects. ADC spokesman Bolaji Abdullahi questioned what became of the investigations into Edu and Olejeme, arguing that unresolved corruption cases quietly disappear before the accused reappear in government roles. He said the government owed Nigerians an explanation of how, when and by whom such cases were resolved, if at all.

The appointments come as Tinubu seeks a second term against a broadening opposition coalition led by Atiku Abubakar of the ADC. Analysts suggest the controversy could hand opposition parties a potent campaign narrative around accountability and impunity, testing whether such appointments will cost the ruling party politically in 2027.