• APC defends Betta Edu despite pending probe

Citing political and reputational consequences, the Northern Youths Frontiers (NYF) has rejected the appointment of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the North-East Zonal Coordinator of the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2027 Presidential Campaign Council.

Stating that it has been mobilising youth support for the Tinubu/Kashim 2027 project across the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, the NYF said the composition of the campaign council must reflect the confidence, expectations and sensitivities of the electorate whose support the campaign seeks.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has defended the inclusion of former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, in the party’s campaign council, saying she has not been found guilty of any offence.

In a statement by its North-West Zonal Coordinator, Saminu Tukur, the group noted that, although Sheriff had denied the allegations and controversies associated with aspects of his political career, and although questions of criminal responsibility remain matters for competent legal institutions, campaign appointments have political and reputational consequences.

Though the presidential campaign is not a courtroom, campaign appointments carry political and reputational consequences,” he said, adding that “individuals occupying prominent positions become part of the public face of the campaign and are expected to command confidence, communicate the candidate’s message effectively and assist in building broad-based support.

According to the NYF, “communities have lost loved ones, homes, farms, businesses, schools and years of economic opportunity. For millions of young northerners, the consequences of the crisis are not distant political history; they remain part of the social and economic reality of their generation.”

Among other things, the NYF noted that public discussions concerning Senator Sheriff have repeatedly referenced the Galtimari Committee, political developments in Borno State in the period preceding the escalation of the insurgency, allegations by individuals concerning the insurgency, and reported investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Consequently, it called on the APC leadership to drop Sheriff from the campaign council and reconsider the assignment of the North-East zonal coordination responsibility.

However, the spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Kemi Asekun-Shittu, made the defence yesterday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on the political and ethical implications of the membership of the council.

Edu, who was suspended from office by President Bola Tinubu in January 2024 over a N585 million payment involving her ministry, was among the names attracting questions in the campaign council.

Asked about the moral implications and potential political consequences of including Edu on the list while an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigation remained unresolved, Asekun-Shittu said the former minister’s probe had not been concluded, and that the APC believes she may very likely “not be found guilty.”