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Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign, has challenged the explanation offered by the All Progressives Congress (APC) over a claim by its campaign spokesman, Alwan Hassan, that some ministers pay billions of naira to secure appointments.
The exchange followed Hassan’s remarks during an interview on Arise News on October 22, when he alleged that some ministers spend huge sums to secure government positions and subsequently seek to recover the money after taking office.
Hassan made the comments while defending President Bola Tinubu’s approach to managing government revenue and expenditure. He argued that some ministers focus on recovering money allegedly spent to secure their appointments rather than serving the public interest.
“A lot of ministers pay billions and billions, and, you know, to get themselves appointed. The first thing they think of is how to recoup that money,” Hassan said.
He also argued that the alleged practice was not limited to the APC, claiming that corruption involving ministers had occurred under successive administrations.
The remarks generated questions about whether Hassan was referring to serving ministers in Tinubu’s government, particularly because he made them while praising the President’s handling of public expenditure.
Reacting during an interview on Arise News, Okonkwo argued that any payments made to secure ministerial appointments would involve the authorities constitutionally responsible for the appointment process.
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“If anyone is paying anyone billions to be appointed minister, they are paying it either to the president or the Senate, because the constitution gives them the power to appoint ministers,” he said.
Okonkwo’s comments challenged the implications of Hassan’s allegation and drew attention to the constitutional roles of the President and the Senate in the appointment of ministers.
However, APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka subsequently defended Hassan, saying his remarks had been misunderstood and were not directed at the current administration.
Speaking on Arise News, Morka said Hassan was discussing a historical pattern rather than alleging that ministers serving under Tinubu had paid billions to secure their positions.
“When Alwan Hassan said ministers pay billions to be appointed, he was not speaking about the current administration; it was in a historical context,” Morka said.
He added: “His frame of thought was not talking about the present but the past. As a public commentator, you sometimes generalise without drawing lines.”
Morka maintained that Hassan’s remarks should not be interpreted as an allegation against Tinubu’s government, arguing that the comment referred to practices under previous administrations.
