Onoh Slams Alleged Sale of Ministerial Positions, Demands Cabinet Reshuffle

Former South-East spokesman for President Bola Tinubu’s 2023 Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Josef Umunnakwe Onoh, has condemned allegations that ministerial positions in Nigeria are bought with billions of naira, describing the claims as an insult to the electorate and a threat to the country’s international reputation.

Onoh, who is also Chairman of the Forum of Former Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly, made his position known in a statement made available to journalists in Lagos.

He was reacting to comments by Alhaji Alwan Hassan, a spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, during an interview on Arise Television, in which Hassan reportedly alleged that ministerial appointments were secured through financial transactions and that appointees subsequently sought to recover their investments by looting public funds.

Onoh said the allegations, if substantiated, would raise serious questions about the integrity of the current administration and the process through which public officials are appointed.

He, however, rejected any attempt to portray the alleged practice as a longstanding feature of Nigeria’s democratic history, insisting that claims about the current administration should not be used to discredit previous governments without verifiable evidence.

The former campaign spokesman argued that Hassan’s remarks were particularly damaging because they came from a figure associated with the President’s campaign council and could undermine public confidence in the Federal Executive Council.

He described the allegations as more far-reaching in their implications than individual cases of alleged administrative misconduct, arguing that portraying ministers as individuals who purchased their offices amounted to a serious indictment of the federal cabinet.

Onoh also contrasted the current campaign council’s alleged lack of discipline with the structure and coordination of the campaign organisation led by the late President Muhammadu Buhari, which supported Tinubu’s emergence as president.

He said Hassan’s comments raised concerns about unity, discipline and cohesion among those representing the ruling party and defending the administration.

Defending the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Onoh described it as one of Nigeria’s most consequential democratic periods, arguing that its cabinet was assembled based on merit, intellectual capacity, character and administrative competence.

According to him, the Obasanjo administration recruited technocrats and experienced professionals whose contributions helped secure Nigeria’s external debt relief, reform the banking sector, expand telecommunications and establish the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Onoh challenged Hassan to provide verifiable evidence that any ministerial appointee under Obasanjo or another administration between 1999 and 2023 paid billions of naira to secure a position.

He demanded that Hassan identify the alleged appointees, intermediaries, amounts paid and dates of the transactions, insisting that the claims should not be accepted without supporting evidence.

Onoh further urged former cabinet members from the period to speak out if they had secured their appointments through financial transactions.

He warned that portraying ministerial positions as commercial commodities could damage Nigeria’s international standing, discourage foreign direct investment and undermine confidence among international financial institutions and diplomatic partners.

Describing the allegations as an insult to Nigerians, Onoh said public leadership should be determined by competence, patriotism and commitment to service rather than financial influence.

He added that, as a supporter of democratic governance and the Tinubu administration, he found the allegations particularly troubling because they reportedly came from a member of the ruling party’s campaign council.

Onoh further argued that, if Hassan’s claims accurately reflected the circumstances surrounding appointments in the current administration, Nigerians would have serious reasons to reconsider the government’s re-election prospects in 2027.

He consequently called on President Tinubu to undertake a comprehensive cabinet reshuffle, replacing ministers with individuals of proven competence, integrity and intellectual capacity.

“The choice before the presidency is clear: clean house or face the consequences at the ballot box,” Onoh said, warning that failure to address the allegations could strengthen the opposition ahead of the 2027 general election.